Aircraft Scanner?

Question

I have got a Aircraft scanner I have tuned into the local ATIS for an airport can some one tell me what Q and H means it gets said somethink like this "london city information service Q and H 1209"

Hope some one can help me


Many thnka s


Thomas Wheeler

Answer 1

Aircraft use four different altimeter pressure settings: QFE, QNH, Forecast QNH (or regional pressure setting RPS) and standard altimeter setting (1013.25).

QFE is used for landing and takeoff only and sets the altimeter to read the actual height above the runway. This value is passed to the aircraft by air-traffic control at the airfield.
On rare occasions it may not be possible to set QFE so the QNE reading is used instead.
The QNE is the height indicated on landing at an aerodrome when the altimeter sub scale is set to 1013.2 hPa. This would generally only be used during occasions when the atmospheric pressure is exceptionally high or low and altimeter sub scales are unable to be set in the normal way.

QNH is used to set the altimeter to read the actual height above sea level in the local area.
This is also passed by the local ATC and so when the aircraft is on the ground with QNH set, the altimeter will show the height of the airfield.

FOQNH (RPS) is the lowest forecast QNH given for a particular area. The UK is split into 24 different areas (see Fig. 1 below). Most aircraft in the lowest levels will use the regional QNH setting, including private aircraft, gliders and sometimes military and commercial aircraft. The Met Office issues forecasts of all 24 QNH values every hour, one hour ahead - coded FOQNH. Each forecast is for the lowest sea-level pressure value expected in the area during the hour indicated. Thus the reading is height above sea level, or altitude.

Accurate hour-by-hour forecasting of these FOQNH values is vital for the safe operation of aircraft, especially when visibility is poor or where the skies are crowded. Surface pressure can change rapidly at times - sometimes by several hPa per hour - and can also vary significantly from one location to another. Considering that pressure drops approximately 1 hPa for every 10 metre increase in altitude in the lower troposphere, it is evident that an aircraft altimeter can become incorrect quite rapidly. Consequently, aircraft may need to adjust the QNH setting hourly or when passing into a different FOQNH area.

Standard altimeter setting is used to set the altimeter to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standard atmosphere setting and assumes a sea-level pressure of 1013.2 hPa regardless of actual pressure. This provides safe separation between aircraft who are well above any high terrain. This setting is used by aircraft cruising at higher altitude (above the transition altitude) and is generally used above approx. 3000 FT in the UK although this is not always the case.

Answer 2

That's QNH which is the altimeter setting in hectoPascal. Most ATIS's also include the InchHg.
29.92"Hg = 1013 HP
The higher the altimeter setting the higher the air pressure is.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Boy, this is a toughy, would almost have to hear it myself. BUT what I can tell you is usually after addressing the specific airport, they give you a phonetic alphabet number. For example "Dane County Regional Airport Information Charley", then follows with the current weather conditions. When there is a significant change, they redo it which would be ".....Information Delta", etc on up the phonetic alphabet. When you are calling ground control for permission to taxi, or if you are contacting approach control, you would tell them you have "Information Charley" (or Delta or whatever they said on the ATIS channel). That's how they know you actully listened to it (or listened enough to get the ID letter!). If it changed (doubtful) from the time you listened to it to the time you called in, they'll either tell you "Information Echo is now current, please recontact ATIS channel XXX.X", OR depending on the circumstances and controller, they might just tell you the difference between the old and new, for example "Information Echo now current, winds now 170 at 10", to which you'd reply "roger winds now 170 at 10, thanks", or they might have a new altimeter reading or what have you.

Answer 5

You really heard QNH 1209. QNH is the altimeter setting in hectopascals.

Answer 6

QNH refers to the local altimeter setting. Its a military designation that means local station pressure....standard being 29.92