Do portable altimeters work inside aircraft cabins?
Hi. I fly a lot to maintain my Delta Diamond and BA Gold tiers but I want to measure the exact altitude because they don't show the info on some older aircrafts especially when they are domestic routes and I want to make sure I don't get exposed much to radiation. But I wonder if portable altimeters work inside the cabin?
Update:When the altitude is lower than 25000 feet, you will be exposed to less radiation that was what they said on the news article.)
Update 3:What I can do is, I can record and observe at what altitude they fly and avoid certain routes.
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No, little Snowflake. You won't get exposed to excessive solar radiation while sitting in the passenger cabin of an airliner. If you're REALLY worried about it, just close the window shade.
A pressure altimeter will give a false reading inside a passenger airplane because the air pressure is maintained at an artificially high pressure so people can breathe. If you want an accurate altitude reading, you'll need a GPS receiver, and THAT may not work because the metal fuselage of the airplane may block the GPS radio signals from reaching your toy.
No. it will not work, (true reading) in a pressurized plane.
If you're worried about ultra-violet solar radiation, then first of all your altimeter isn't going to tell you a single thing about it. Your portable altimeter will not measure MSL altitude anyway, because the cabin is pressurized and hence it cannot measure outside static pressure (unlike the pilots' altimeters which CAN).
What you want is the UV Index forecast for your time, date, and departure airport. Most weather apps have a searchable UV Index feature. The times when the UV Index is highest are in mid-summer months (June, July) at solar noon. If you're really that worried about radiation, avoid flying during those times, and if you do, just keep your shade drawn shut (as was already mentioned.) Unless you fly with the same frequency as a career pilot all summer long, your exposure to harmful UV radiation is probably nil. Pilots do have a slightly increased risk, but you aren't sitting behind large square windows for hours or multiple flight legs, in direct sunlight.
The altimeter will show the cabin pressure altitude (normally around 8,000 feet) not the actual altitude. Doesn't matter if you're on a Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier or Embraer.
I do have a question for you. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you had a device that shows the actual altitude. If you think that the plane is too high what are you going to do, ask the pilot to fly lower?
If you fly just to maintain your elite frequent flier status and worried about radiation, don't fly.
Try a GPS. Radiation? Hahahahahahaha.
You mean if you're on a commercial flight? No. Altimeters work on air pressure. The pressure is artificially high on a passenger flight, so the meter won't give a true reading.
Not in pressurised aircraft.
The cabin is pressurised to an altitude much lower than that you are flying at.
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Altimeters measure air pressure. So the pressurised air in the cabin would render a portable one useless.
They wouldn't, because they rely on air pressure readings and the pressure inside the cabin would not be the same as outside.
They won't stop working just because you stepped inside an aircraft, if that is what you mean. Depends on which principle they're working on, though, they may or may not show your height above sea level, either.