Non-motoring > Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 10
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 Wed 6 Jun 12 20:38 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Bromptonaut
Having dropped The Lad and mates at Download I had a reversion to teens moment this afty. Spent an hour or so lurking round the perimeter fence of East Midlands Airport with binos and a scanner.

The Tower controller was giving altimeter pressures with the explicit suffix of (eg 999) hectopascals. Is that actually a different unit from the millibars of my misspent youth?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 6 Jun 12 at 20:41
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 Wed 6 Jun 12 20:55 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Fursty Ferret
Yep, they're identical. The UK changed from using millibar to hectopascal on the radio about a year ago to bring us in line with the rest of Europe.

That's the official story; I personally suspect this was a change thought up by a spineless Frenchman desperate to justify his existence on the EASA payroll, but that's just wild speculation on my part!

The phrase "hectopascal" must be passed after the QNH when transmitting pressures less than 1000 in order to avoid confusing the Yanks.
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 Wed 6 Jun 12 21:41 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Bromptonaut
Thanks for the prompt reply. Must explore more of EMA's 'airport trail'; an interesting walk round the external perimeter track!!
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 Thu 7 Jun 12 08:24 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - zookeeper
dont you mean QFE... above ground level?
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 Thu 7 Jun 12 09:26 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Bromptonaut
>> dont you mean QFE... above ground level?

The pressure I heard transmitted yesterday to departures at CastleDon was QNH - 999.

Impression as an occasional listener to ATC is that few airlines now use QFE on landing. Presumably the threshold elevation and decision height are bugged on the pressure altimeter with a radio alt giving callouts down to tens of feet.
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 Thu 7 Jun 12 21:22 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - zookeeper
i used to go to egnx occasionally to watch the planes take off and land. there are ramps that lead into a field that made good viewing places, but the last time i went they were blocked off with large cubes of concrete, funnily enough ive applied for a job at DHL as a loader....fingers crossed
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 Fri 8 Jun 12 17:29 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Fursty Ferret
QFE - military use and Russia, I think.

I've never used it.
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 Fri 8 Jun 12 20:36 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Bromptonaut
>> QFE - military use and Russia, I think.
>>
>> I've never used it.

An example of how things change. As an enthusiast earwigging on Leeds in the seventies QFE was part of a routine approach.

On handover from Manchester a/c were intially given a flight level for the LBA hold then descents on first the local QNH then QFE. In low visibility the landing runway was usually 15 (now 14) which had a 3.25degree descent to maintain obstacle clearance over Otley Chevin. Arrivals (BA Viscounts, Air Anglia F27s and DanAir 748s) were descended on a surveillance radar approach to 1850 feet QFE and instructed to begin descent from 5 miles. Radar terminated half a mile from touch down and next he listener heard was either 'going round; or 'Anglia 205 landed 19:25 next left via runways 19 and 28 parking stand 4'
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 Thu 7 Jun 12 06:54 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - L'escargot
This is what I refer to when I can't remember a conversion factor. tinyurl.com/5n4t tinyurl.com/2ah6bb
Last edited by: L'escargot on Thu 7 Jun 12 at 06:57
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 Fri 8 Jun 12 11:31 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - Bromptonaut
EGNX weather @ 10:50. Light rain, broken cloud at 1100feet, visibilty 6k, wind 220/21kts (so gusting over 30?) QNH 988!!

The Lad at Download Festival is cold wet & muddy but apparently happy.
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 Fri 8 Jun 12 17:25 
 Millibars and Hectopascals - Q for Fursty Ferret - zookeeper
was just looking at the line up for sunday and thought ,wouldnt mind seeing sabbath again its only been like 35 years since i last saw them ( never say die tour) until i saw the prices.....82.50 each , blimey i saw led zep for £ 7.50
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