QFE
 

Gday all,
Curious if any pilots out there have ever been in the circumstance or requirement to use the barometric correction QFE (Field alt). This is coming from an engineer, and I'm yet to hear of someone ever using this function.

Anyone keen to enlighten me? Cheers

It was standard operation in BEA (particularly before Rad Alts) on the not unreasonable grounds that each arrival would be to similar numbers height-wise. There were very few unusually high airfields in the network.

thanks scot, the pre rad alt usage makes alot of sense now

Mainly used by private pilots in light A/C these days.

QFE, altimeter pressure setting to show zero elevation when on the ground, is used by the UK military. I believe procedure is for QFE to be used in the vicinity of the airfield until climbing above transition altitude (which varies between 3000ft and 6000ft in the UK at present) when 1013 is set. QNH is only used at those miltary airfields situated under terminal control areas.
For UK civil, QNH is the normal setting although the CAA still allow use of QFE at some airfields.

QFE (and metric heights) used at airfields in China and possibly elsewhere. In Australia, QFE might be used for some light aircraft circuit traffic, but not used by airliners or RAAF.

I hope you're joking. :=

China and North Korea use meters (including a screwed up RVSM program requiring you to convert the assigned meter level into feet) but they don't use QFE.

QFE
 

Russia uses QFE. Even though the Jepp charts state QNH on request the controllers won't give it to you. They will only issue QFE which, as you know, will indicate 0 on the altimeter when you are on the ground no matter what the field elevation is.

P

''China and North Korea use meters (including a screwed up RVSM program requiring you to convert the assigned meter level into feet) but they don't use QFE''.

Combined military/civil airfields in China use QFE. Dalian and Nanning are two examples.

I've used QFE (and metres) when operating through Tashkent, Azerbaijan.

QFE is set prior takeoff when performing aerobatic flight in the [airport] box.

Dan,

Thanks for the update. I had never seen it in Shanghai, Shenyang or Kunming and figured it was country wide.