Altimeters, AGL or MSL ??

[MJG]

Just curious what others do when flying gliders as far as setting their altimeters. Do you set it to the field elevation MSL or do you just zero it out so that it's always reading AGL??

A fellow glider pilot and I had this discussion today about what is more appropriate, what is legal and which is a better way to operate. This came about after he took his CFI-G ride this past week, he passed BTW, and the examiner had an issue with him setting the altimeter for AGL purposes.

At our club our primary instructor teaches everyone, including me, using the AGL method. Having flown powered aircraft I kinda like using the AGL method when it comes to gliders since it takes all the math out of it and allows you to concentrate on flying the glider. We don't have any overhead airspace issues to worry about so MSL or AGL, it doesn't seem to matter much.

But now I'm curious as to what others do. Anyone have thoughts?

 

[tuna pimp]

At my club we generally set it to MSL but I think it's basically at the pilot's discretion.

 

[Lead Sled]

You say toe-may-toe, I say tow-mah-tow. What difference does it really make in local flying as long as you understand what you're doing? Personally, I see using a QFE altimeter setting in a glider as being a little rediculous, but then we never used it in the equipment that we were flying or taught in. If that's what you're used to, go for it. However, I can see some limitations to that technique here in the States - what if you're flying X/C?

LS

 

[tonycondon]

Even if you are not flying XC, on a 5 hour local flight, the atmospheric pressure can change significantly. This is why I had my altitmeter adjusted so that it actually reads the correct altitude when the correct altimeter setting is put in. This is rare in the gliders I have flown. This way a quick glance at the sectional and you can figure out your altitude AGL, or you can just look out the window.

 

[MJG]

I guess it's all a matter of preference. My CFI-G is in his 70's, has been flying now for 50+ years, has flown anything and everything, and is pretty set in his ways.

Since we're here in Ohio, there are no mountains to hit and the terrain is pretty flat. We have many folks who are very low experience, myself included as far as gliders go, who may be safer at least through their initial training using AGL instead of MSL. I can think of several individuals who need all the help they can get.

I totally agree about the XC stuff and the pressure changes. I guess since in my case I'm talking about club gliders that are shared, no one really flies for more than a couple hours at a time anyway. So maybe just using AGL is an easier and for our operations, a safer way to go.

 

[Prof. ATP]

Just curious what others do when flying gliders as far as setting their altimeters. Do you set it to the field elevation MSL or do you just zero it out so that it's always reading AGL?

Our club's field is about 4400 MSL, so we pretty much have to set the altimeter MSL.

Some gliders may be certificated with a sensitive altimeter (adjustable Kollsman window), but I would bet that most are not. Shoot, the Schweizer 2-33s I flew didn't even have a magnetic compass.

 

[WateryGrave]

If the student can't figure out how to do math in their head then they probably should not be behind the controls of a glider, or behind the wheel of their car for that matter. Anyone who flies a glider in the Western half of the country has the potential of taking off at an airport and landing at an different airport with more than a few thousand feet difference in field elevation. That would pretty much render the altimiter useless if you set it to zero.

If we can teach students about aerodynamics, weather, and discyphering the FAR/AIM, then I'm confident we can teach them how to correctly use and altimiter and do a little bit of mental math.

Just my .02

 

[Nindiri]

I almost always use AGL just for the simplicity of it. It doesn't matter to me if the pressure changes since A) we have no way to get updated settings in our gliders anyway, and B) I'm flying VFR, so I can generally see and avoid visually any mountains that may pop up in front of me.