Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

How to find out the Altimeter setting midflight when lost comm IFR

Asked by: 2808 views Airspace, Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Instrument Rating, Student Pilot

Let us say, we are on flight from Atlanta to New York, and mid-flight we suddenly lose our communication. Lost comm.

How do we find out the Altimeter setting at JFK in the midpoint between ATL and JFK airports?

 

Steve.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

3 Answers



  1. Koehn on Apr 23, 2016

    You received the altimeter setting with your IFR briefing.

    Other options include ADS-B or XM to get the current setting.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Kris Kortokrax on Apr 23, 2016

    If you were really concerned about this, you could take a handheld radio with you.

    That would also solve your lost comm problem.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Skyfox on Apr 26, 2016

    If you’re still able to hear your NAV radios, you could try to find a VOR transmitting an AWOS recording, or HIWAS in hopes it mentions an altimeter setting (note that TWEB is only used in Alaska any more). And if you’re able to transmit on your comms radio but not receive, you could attempt to reach a FSS that replies over a VOR in the area to not only give you an altimeter setting but also relay your lost comms situation to ATC.

    Don’t forget to squawk 7600. If you’re in IMC and find VMC, discontinue IFR and proceed in visual conditions to somewhere you can land. In the case you mentioned, flying into JFK with lost comms when you could have gone elsewhere in VMC would be a bad day for everyone. But if you remain in IMC then just follow your lost comms procedures and continue to your destination.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.