In article , says...


Sounds confusing? You get used to it.


Good post, Stefan.
Sounds confusing? It IS confusing, even when you get used to it.
Having flown both systems, the European system is really a nuisance!
It is (at least theoretically) justified because in Europe, the "general"
18000' altitude would not be sufficient to provide terrain clearance in all
locations, as it is in the US. Therefore, rather than create a special
airspace for the 10 sq-mi area concerned, the entire continent is subjected to
arcane usage rules, with transition altitudes and levels (they are different
when climbing and descending) that vary from day to day, depending on the
barometric pressure, and are different according to whether or not one is in a
TMA or other terminal procedure controlled airspace.

Generally speaking, however, these transitions almost always occur at or below
5500', so it is common to hear aircraft - even VFR - reporting FL5500, for
example.

Fortunately, the use of QFE - once dear to VFR-only pilots - is going by the
wayside. Time was, pilots would set their altimiters to "0" before takeoff,
then "at some point" transition to the local altimeter setting. On VFR
approach, they would set their altimeter to the field elevation, so they could
execute their pattern with the same reference altitudes displayed on their
altimeter, regardless of the actual field elevation. Good idea, I suppose, but
in reality it only added "one more" reference setting to the already thick
soup. This practice appears to be disappearing with the institution of
pan-European flight crew training.

G Faris