Winds

[William Caine]

I am trying to understand the the elevation of winds. I do not know what exactly to type into a browser to find this knowledge. Can someone help explain what the designations me, that is, such s “FL140”. What elevations can be applied to these?

[Vela77]

@William-Caine said in Winds:

I am trying to understand the the elevation of winds. I do not know what exactly to type into a browser to find this knowledge. Can someone help explain what the designations me, that is, such s “FL140”. What elevations can be applied to these?

Conventional airplane altimeters use barometric pressure to determine altitude. When you are taking off and landing, it is important to know your height above the ground. So you set your altimeter's barometer to match the local pressure. But someone taking off from an airport far away might have set a different local pressure into their barometer. So you and he may be flying along, thinking one is higher than the other, but because of the difference in how your instruments are set, you could end up at the same altitude.

So when you are flying any distance it is more important to know the altitudes of other aircraft flying around you. So everyone sets their altimeters to a standard barometric pressure. Then everyone's altitude relative to each other is known and you can maintain separation - you are less likely to crash into someone. These altitudes are known as "Flight Levels" in order to differentiate them from true altitudes above ground or sea level. Flight levels are measured in 100s of feet. So FL140 would be an altitude of 14,000 feet as measured by standard barometric pressure.

[idefix37]

@William-Caine

@Vela77 has explained what FL 140 means and why it is used for flying.

On the Altitude slider there are 3 units:

For example
700hPa is the pressure level, as the air pressure decreases with altitude. Meteorologists and weather models work with pressure levels, not with real altitude, to compute wind speeds for instance.

3000m is the averaged altitude asl that corresponds to this pressure level. Due to the fact that the air pression varies, 700hPa level is about 3000m.

FL100 is the flight level at 700hPa.

[mikasa23]

@William-Caine FL140 corresponds to an elevation of 14,000 feet above mean sea level, and flight levels are typically used for aircraft flying at or above 18,000 feet.

[windaustere]

@William-Caine Drift Hunters said in Winds:

I am trying to understand the the elevation of winds. I do not know what exactly to type into a browser to find this knowledge. Can someone help explain what the designations me, that is, such s “FL140”. What elevations can be applied to these?

FL140 refers to 14,000 feet elevation as a standard pressure altitude, which provides an altitude frame of reference for aircraft at higher cruising elevations rather than variable radar altitudes.