I was flying at a controller requested altitude of 13000ft today and even though I pressed "B" to ensure my barometric pressure was as expected, I was still told off for not keeping to the correct altitude.Then I got the big telling off after landing!I thought all that was required during flight was to press the B key occasionally to take account of atmospheric pressure variation, and then all would be well.Obviously not, and I would be grateful if I could be advised on how to avoid this problem.

I was flying at a controller requested altitude of 13000ft today and even though I pressed "B" to ensure my barometric pressure was as expected, I was still told off for not keeping to the correct altitude.Then I got the big telling off after landing!I thought all that was required during flight was to press the B key occasionally to take account of atmospheric pressure variation, and then all would be well.Obviously not, and I would be grateful if I could be advised on how to avoid this problem.

Using the 'B' key to set pressure is not recommended and there have been numerous threads about this. I believe the B key will only set local pressure in the US and does not work elsewhere in the world where the transition altitude varies widely.Use the mouse to adjust pressure, not the B key. And the rule is "when given an altitude set local QNH; when given an altitude set standard pressure. That rule is universal.

Using the 'B' key to set pressure is not recommended and there have been numerous threads about this. I believe the B key will only set local pressure in the US and does not work elsewhere in the world where the transition altitude varies widely.Use the mouse to adjust pressure, not the B key. And the rule is "when given an altitude set local QNH; when given an altitude set standard pressure. That rule is universal.

Ray, Did you mean "flight level" in the second instance...Phil

Ray, Did you mean "flight level" in the second instance...Phil

Woops! :( Yes I did Phil. Thanks for the correction. I was in a hurry.

Where were you flying when you admonished for busting altitude? If you were flying anywhere other than the U.S.A. you may well have been flying at a flight level, not an altitude. Being assigned 13000ft msl is different from FL 130. One altitude requires an altimeter setting to match local conditions, the other requires a setting of 29.92 (1013 on the QNH side).

Thanks for all the advice folks, I've learned a lot from your replies!

Using the 'B' key to set pressure is not recommended and there have been numerous threads about this. I believe the B key will only set local pressure in the US and does not work elsewhere in the world where the transition altitude varies widely.

To deal with this, I set always set the transition altitudes to 18000ft. I know, but I fly aircraft that either have an unreadable pressure or only show inches, so using the B key is a must for me. But on that note, I was wondering if there is a table of values somewhere. So that if RC says something like 1016, I know exactly what the inch value should be. It seems the rounding of those values somewhat follows its own rules, hence the need for an aviation source. Does anyone know of such a thing?

To deal with this, I set always set the transition altitudes to 18000ft. I know, but I fly aircraft that either have an unreadable pressure or only show inches, so using the B key is a must for me. But on that note, I was wondering if there is a table of values somewhere. So that if RC says something like 1016, I know exactly what the inch value should be. It seems the rounding of those values somewhat follows its own rules, hence the need for an aviation source. Does anyone know of such a thing?

To convert millibars to inches of pressure divide by 33.864. So 1016 becomes 30.00 inches. If you search the Internet you will probably find one but a simple spreadsheet will give you the solution.Setting the TA to 18000 globally is not ideal.

To reiterate: TA's can vary wildly around the world. 18000ft msl is good for the USA and Canada. I have seen the TA as low as 3000ft msl in England and other places. If you listen, Otto will tell you when you are passing the local TA in both directions.This should get you started in the pressure conversion world. Take along your trusty slide rule on your next flight.

But on that note, I was wondering if there is a table of values somewhere. So that if RC says something like 1016, I know exactly what the inch value should be. It seems the rounding of those values somewhat follows its own rules, hence the need for an aviation source. Does anyone know of such a thing?

I certainly do. Here's a hectopascals/millibars to inches of mercury conversion table I did some years ago. I think it's exactly what you're looking for.Pete

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I certainly do. Here's a hectopascals/millibars to inches of mercury conversion table I did some years ago. I think it's exactly what you're looking for.Pete

Indeed, exactly. Thanks so much for sharing!:(As a longterm solution, I think I may just have to edit some panels/gauges to enable a millibar readout or to make them more readable, so I no longer have to rely on the B key.:(

Two gauges come to mind. The standby "steam" altimeter gauges used in some glass-panels have a dual simultaneous Kohlsman windows for pressure. I also thought I saw a digital Kohlsman only gauge that either hot switched or had a dual display.Advanced models with glass PFDs on their display control panel may have a switch for mb/in and a STD button that you click to switch between standard and local pressure as you cross the transition altitude.

Indeed, exactly. Thanks so much for sharing!:(As a longterm solution, I think I may just have to edit some panels/gauges to enable a millibar readout or to make them more readable, so I no longer have to rely on the B key.:(

This rather ancient guage should still work and might be just what you need. http://library.avsim.net/download.php?DLID=20692It's a small guage that you can place on the panel and will show the current pressure in FS and a red light is illuminated when it differs from the stored pressure. Full instructions are included.

Here's one for FS9. It appears to be XML coded and might work in FS10. It is a digital gauge that reads altitude, stored TA switching level, and QNH in inches and MB.It is in the FS9 Gauges library as:tatl10.zip"Gauge switches the altimeter setting between local and standard according to the altitude you fly in. Has buttons to change between meters and feet and mbar and inchHG, additional button to set to local altimeter."