AFR Enterprises Blog

A radio altimeter is an electronic device that measures the altitude of an aircraft above the ground immediately below the aircraft. It determines the altitude by sending a radio signal from the aircraft to the ground where it reflects and travels back to the aircraft. The altimeter makes note of the time it took the signal to travel to and from the aircraft and converts that into a figure representing the altitude. The altitude measured by the radio altimeter is called “absolute altitude” and refers to the constantly changing measurement of the distance between an aircraft and the ground. The speed of the radio altimeter’s signal is necessary to provide the pilot with real-time readings of altitude.

Altitude is a relatively simple concept. In general, it is defined as an object’s height relative to sea level or ground level. However, what most people don’t realize is that there are many different types of altitude. There are actually five, those being indicated altitude, pressure altitude, density altitude, true altitude, and absolute altitude.

Pressure transducers have never been more prevalent, or more reliable. With stainless steel construction and modern engineering, pressure transducers can provide overpressure protection, improved total error band, and negligible orientation and vibration effects. They are ideal for long-term use in harsh environments of extreme temperature, humidity, and vibration. However, pressure transducers can fail like any other piece of equipment. Common causes include improper wiring, incorrect polarity, inadequate power supply, multiple grounds, short circuits, operations issues, and problems with the transducer itself. In this blog, we’ll explore some trouble-shooting techniques that can help you determine just what went wrong with your transducer.