Dumb question?
This one has been bugging me for a while. I should have had it answered ages before this but...well...I watch too much Air Crash Investigation and like to have the answers so I sound clever.
When you call ATC after takeoff, and give them your passing altitude, I have always assumed it was because ATC would then compare your verbal readout with the transponder readout they saw on screen. However, if your pitots/statics are blocked or faulty, then whatever you are reading will be the same as what the transponder altitude reporting gives, no? In which case, what exactly is ATC checking?
Birky