Units - Imperial, metric and random :)

[Aussiewalrus]

Was wondering if it would be possible to be able to choose the units for individual measurements rather than generally.

In Australia we have a stuffed up system. Km for distance, knots for speed and 1000feet/minute for vario. Very confusing, but it's what I'm used to flying with

[Uros]

Hi Aussiewalrus,

you sure have an interesting set of units in Australia

I think it should be enough to just add another item in the drop down list (metric, imperial, aussie)

OK, if other australian pilots agree with you, this can be added (maybe in the first patch already)

Regards,

[Aussiewalrus]

sounds good.

Just did my first XC flight. Had it set to imperial so I could get the knots on the vario and feet on the altimeter which I thought important. But then I had Nm for distance. Since I havent learnt how to use the flight computer yet i was trying to go on the good old '10km per 1000 feet' as we get taught here, but couldn't. Needless to say, my final glide was at VNE the whole way and still got there with a bit to spare.

Was amazing fun though. Never thought I'd get a sense of achievement out of a game! Well done on a great flight sim

[Adam]

So the Aussie's don't feel too lonely on this subject, it's UK units too; kms for distance, feet for altitude, knots for speed.

I can't wait for the day when we eventually go totally metric!

[Aussiewalrus]

Nah cos then I'll have to work out at what height I start gloating over the radio! It's 10000ft at the mo, what's that in metres?

[swt]

These unit mix are totally pi***ng me off IRL. We use totally metrics in gliders, km/ft/kmph or km/ft/kts or km/m/kmph in powered ... and they push fts in gliders too here

I thought that SI will become standard all over but "big flyers" ... read "airliners world" are pushing ft/kts/nm into all aviation ... at least in CZ

It is not really fun. I started flying all way back in times where we were "socialist paradise" and communism driven country ... in those times all units were SI, and all flying was done using QFE (at least in "small" flying - military, GA etc., and I think even in airlines of these times) ... now, You can imagine that I always think in meters etc. and when I need to switch to plane with non metrics instruments, or have something report to ATC (they usually "do not hear" when you say "meters" ...

I understand that it will do much good if units through aviation will be standardised all over the world ... but they dont. I can only wish for SI become standard, as I was born to "SI world" ...
but that will not happen ... comercial airlining supports nm/ft/kts so that will be used more and more by simple power of money ..

[Adam]

Shall we have a guess on how much getting every aircraft in the world, documentation, maps, systems, instruments all changed over to metric? Flight levels and laws would need to be changed too, probably.

It would cost a small fortune sadly.

[swt]

yea, yea, as I said pure economic laws are pushing aviation into using what "big birds" currently are ...

but i think it should be forced to use one unit set worldwide - this mix when I do not know which unit will be used in next plane I sit into is ... annoying at last ... but more ... against flying safety ...



as side note take my curiosity that after so much years from when SI was set it is still very far from being used as "Systeme internationale"

[Adam]

I remember when I lived in France for two years, the gliders were all metric. It was hard enough using the radio in French and calling my heights to the CFI, trying to get used to metric and final glides (et al) was a nightmare. You have my sympathy. Just stay high and avoid the jets, that seems to work.

[mikkieg42]

I know this is a really old topic but only just started using Condor. There's a reason why the units are mixed up in commercial aviation. Never quite understood why europe (ie. not UK) use metric for gliding and the standard system for powered.

[wickid]

I think I heard somewhere that gliding started off as a sport in germany after worldwar 1. They where at the time flying with metric units so that's what got adapted in gliders. Powered flying has been using quite a few different sets of units as well. Old american worldwar 2 aircraft use miles per hour for indicated airspeed.

I fly both powered and gliders and I don't mind which units the instruments use. As long as I keep the airspeed needle in the green arc I don't care if it reads in knots, km/h, Mph, fathoms per second, or hear's breaths per year.

[Xavier]

Hi,

Just one word about this topic: International standards set the coherent metric system as the only one to be used on international engineering, in the early 50! and to day he doesn't still come true! and I am always reading in 2012 about BTU (British Thermal Units) instead of Joules, PSI (pound per square inches) instead of Pascal (Newton per square meters) etc.. And when you write about Newton as a force and kilogramme as a mass, there is always some stupefaction with common people, but it must be write in that way, or you will not understand why you jump so far on the moon!

In the same way, an interplanetary US drone miss Mars because the soft was made in metric system, and the users thinks at first that all was set in feet. And they enter bad orders to correct the trajectory.

But, the US won the second world war and had imposed to Europe, then to the world, their units for flying.

All continental European planes (commercial, military, glider etc..) before the world war II were set with metric system.

Funny isn't it