absolute altitude

American  

noun

Aeronautics.

1. the vertical distance between a flying aircraft, rocket, etc., and the point on the earth's surface directly below it, as measured by an electronic altimeter absolute altimeter.

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Etymology

Origin of absolute altitude

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The range farthest N. rises to 1000 ft. above the desert and 7550 ft. above sea-level, the next two ranges reach 1300 ft. above the general level of the desert, and the range farthest south 1475 ft. or an absolute altitude of 7200 ft., while the fifth chain of hills does not exceed 650 ft. in relative elevation.

From Project Gutenberg

From so grand a title as Blue Mountains, and from their absolute altitude, I expected to have seen a bold chain of mountains crossing the country; but instead of this, a sloping plain presents merely an inconsiderable front to the low land near the coast.

From Project Gutenberg

The aneroid now showed 860 feet of absolute altitude, and about sixty-five feet above the landing-place of Banza Nokki; the distance along the stream is fourteen miles, and thus the fall will be about five feet per mile below the Borongwa ya Vivi.

From Project Gutenberg