Dear all, Have been searching this forum with many different key words but cannot find any info on this topic.In real life everytime a controller clears you from your current flight level down to an altitude below the transition level they will provide the current local altimeter setting. In FS9 this altimeter setting is not provided by this controller.Now is this by design....or am I doing something wrong in the sim setup? :( Greatly appreciate any help on this. Regards,Daniel

It's not you Daniel. It's Microsoft.If you use real world weather, as I do, you can use the real world latest observation for your destination. I have found this to be fairly accurate although the METAR's can be almost an hour old depending on your arrival time. It should keep you from hitting anything until FS does decide to give you the meter.AWC - Aviation Weather Center Cheers

Randy, Thank you.I am using active sky for my weather so I can get it from flightwatch too. It is just that it would be nice if ATC would provide it as they should. Aparantly this is as real is it gets using fs2004 ATC.Kind regards,Daniel

Aparantly this is as real is it gets using fs2004 ATC.

Remember there other countries in the world than the USA. Many of them have different transition altitudes - some countries even have variations within the country. Should Microsoft have modelled them all?

ATC add-ons like Radar Contact, PFE, and some others provide surface altimeter pressure reference when commanded to descend below the transition level as do probably on-line ATC (VATSIM for one) controllers. These also correct the FS error of assuming world-wide (and the erroneous B key altimeter setting) transition altitude of 18,000 feet which is true only for FAA territories.Active Sky Flightwatch gives the surface pressure reference for the reporting station or average in the area of your aircraft, not your intended destination. If you look at the AS Navlog and you just have AS modify the weather (No FS dynamic weather, just AS) the destination METAR pressure reference should be close. I usually print out the AS navlog (Print All) as I use its settings in the FMC entries for performance. Some advanced altimeters have a STANDARD button which sets it to the standard flight level reference pressure of 1013 mb/29.92 in Hg. When in this mode for convenience I can adjust the non-standard pressure in advance of destination so it needs to be only minimally adjusted when getting there.

Randy, Thank you.I am using active sky for my weather so I can get it from flightwatch too. It is just that it would be nice if ATC would provide it as they should. Aparantly this is as real is it gets using fs2004 ATC.Kind regards,Daniel

Hello Ron, Thanks for your input.I am using active sky 6.5 for fs9 and I tried flightwatch twice this week. It provided me with the current user airplane local weather, which is probably the average you mentioned and afterwards it provided me with the current METAR for the destination airport entered in the route page.Have been thinking about Radar Contact today but I am affraid it is too heavy for my laptop with PIV 3.00 GHz processor, considering the other add-ons running... :( Regards,Daniel

You can also either tune in to the destination ATIS (if close enough) or dial in 122.00 on COMs to get the local METAR from AS. If you want to 'cheat', you can minimize FS and get the current reading from AS.

I might be way off base here but when I use real world weather from Jepp, as I get below trasition level I just tap the "b" key and the altimeter kollsman window shows the current pressure and the altimeter moves accordingly. I also tap the B key occasionally as I go along to make sure I have the current pressure.Paul

I might be way off base here but when I use real world weather from Jepp, as I get below trasition level I just tap the "b" key and the altimeter kollsman window shows the current pressure and the altimeter moves accordingly. I also tap the B key occasionally as I go along to make sure I have the current pressure.Paul

Not off base, just not " as realistic" to some. Having said that I do the exact same thing as you. :(

The FS "B" key is hard coded to a transition altitude of 18,000 feet mainly in FAA territory. Globally the transition altitude varies by location. Say a transition altitude is at 6,000 feet. If you are commanded to a flight level of FL80 (8,000 feet reading with the altimeter set to 29.92 in./1013 mb. standard pressure) and you hit the B key, your altimeter will be set to local surface pressure and you'll end up at the incorrect altitude.

I might be way off base here but when I use real world weather from Jepp, as I get below trasition level I just tap the "b" key and the altimeter kollsman window shows the current pressure and the altimeter moves accordingly. I also tap the B key occasionally as I go along to make sure I have the current pressure.Paul