hurricanechaser

I just had somebody ask me how do we get the Altimeter setting for the airport of intended landing if we lost our communications in IMC during an IFR flight down to minimums.

Anybdoy care to guess what a good answer might be before I tell the answer I was given?

Outlaw2097

If you were under 180, odds are your altimeter didnt change that much in flight, but if you wanted a 'current' altimeter'...

Handheld GPS if its not part of your comm unit, and some altimeters give the .92 altitude readout on the front (if that didnt go).

...if you are shooting an ILS just make center the needles and wait for the middle marker. or the thud that lets you know you found something paved.

But alas, what was your magic answer?

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N9373M

Disregard................

aviationbill

Couple of options:

#1, Use a GPS that has XM Weather and look at the nearest METAR
#2, When on an ILS and at the glideslope intercept at the published altitude, verify your altimeter setting with what is shown on the plate.

Cubdriver

The Jeppesson plates give altitude above airport at the outer marker, so if the glideslope is centered and you are at the marker you would know what altitude you are at and set the altimeter accordingly. No need to know the kohlman setting.

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hurricanechaser

The "Magic" answer was follow the glideslope of an ILS down to DA, and then adjust your altimeter setting to the decision altitude.

By the way I like the "or wait till you hear a thud" answer

Singlecoil

That's true at standard temperature, you would have to adjust for non-standard.

My answer would be to monitor a TWEB broadcast on a VOR frequency.

N9373M

Cell phone to FSS, AWOS numbers, or an iPhone app like METARspk

Twin Wasp

Read your "Magic" answer slowly. You're going to go down the GS till you reach DA, then you're going to set your altimeter to read DA? Why, you just read DA off it? You don't have a reference point. Give me an old QFE altimeter and I can set a 200 MSL DH anywhere from below sea level to at least 8000 MSL. Are you talking about reading DH off a radio altimeter and then setting the baro to read the matching DA? Not sure what you're flying but even slowed to 100 knots your vertical speed will be 500 fpm, that over 8 feet per second. Which is about .01 change per second. When you saw the RA at 200 and then looked at the baro and set 200 feet you wouldn't be at 200 feet anymore.

FlyerJosh

Hell. Fly the ILS down to the runway and land, then set the field elevation in the altimeter. Then your altimeter is steady.