Comments on: Flying and the Metric System

By: Michael Poulos

Michael Poulos — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 04:54:37 +0000

Obviously, a plane with CRT (or LCD) panels, metricating is easy. Just load in new firmware. The backup gauges have to be changed though like the altimeter. But older planes will be a pain. And pilots will have to learn the new panel. The hazard is an emergency and the pilot gets confused in the heat of the moment.

Like the Mars mission, I wonder how many plane wrecks would occur during a changeover. Hopefully none, but I’m sure a few will happen, of course. Having a switch for American/metric would help, but potentially cause confusion is multiple pilots share a plane. I guess you have to add “check units selector” as part of the pre-flight checklist. (Maybe Microsoft can add that button to Flight Sim)

By: david

david — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 11:08:44 +0000

Gliding is popular in North America as well, of course, but it seems to be huge in continental Europe. I guess that makes sense, given the airspace restrictions and high costs of powered flight there.

By: Olli Vainio

Olli Vainio — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 10:38:38 +0000

In Europe, all aviation releated generally is in nautical units, so feet for altitude, knots for speed, nautical miles for distance etc. Altimeter setting is in hPa. Visibility in METARs are in meters. Gliders, at least in Finland, use metric system for altitude and speed as well, also they set their altimeters for QFE(altimeter showing 0 on the ground) and not to QNH..

Russia and much of ex-Soviet Union uses metric system and QFE all the way, so does China.

By: Abram Siemsen

Abram Siemsen — Wed, 02 Nov 2005 00:51:16 +0000

I can imagine that if anything will ever enable American pilots to make the leap to metric measurements, it will be the proliferation of “glass” cockpits. Selecting “Metric” in a system settings menu is a lot easier than replacing a panel’s worth of steam gauges. That said, instrumentation markings are clearly only one very small piece of the puzzle.

By: Hamish Reid

Hamish Reid — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 18:34:42 +0000

I grew up with the metric system in Australia, but years of flying in California have made me all-too-comfortable with the US system. So it was very odd flying GA back in Australia a few years ago on a short visit — altitudes in feet based on millibars, distances in nautical miles from runways whose lengths are measured in metres, airplane engines measured in horsepower but consuming litres of fuel, etc. In some ways the worst of both worlds….

By: Douglas' Weblog

Douglas' Weblog — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 17:22:27 +0000

Thinking In Metric

David wrote an interesting entry about flying and the metric system . Canada’s close proximity to the United States has basically resulted in three groups of people when it comes to use of metric in Canada. There are those who grew up with only Metri…

By: Jim Howard

Jim Howard — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 17:24:51 +0000

I think that the old Soviet empire and China fully use the metric system in aviation including altitude and airspeed.