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This glossary is written for virtual airline and flight simulation use within Virtual Air Canada Airline. It is not intended as a real-world aviation reference.
QFE is the atmospheric pressure at aerodrome elevation - the altimeter setting that causes a standard altimeter to read zero (or circuit height) at the runway threshold. When set to QFE, the altimeter displays height above the aerodrome reference point rather than altitude above mean sea level. This means an aircraft on the ground with QFE set will show zero on the altimeter, and an aircraft on approach at 1,000 ft above field elevation will read 1,000 ft regardless of the airport’s actual elevation above sea level. QFE is primarily used at some European and military airports, and was historically common in regions with older ATC procedures. Its advantage is that circuit and approach heights are read directly without mental arithmetic to subtract field elevation. However, QFE is not universally adopted - ICAO standard procedures and most modern international operations use QNH as the primary altimeter setting below the transition altitude. Pilots transitioning between QFE and QNH environments must be aware of which datum their altimeter is referencing to avoid terrain clearance errors.

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In Virtual Airline Operations

At Virtual Air Canada Airline, QNH is the standard altimeter setting used for all operations, consistent with North American and ICAO practice. QFE awareness is useful when flying into certain European airports on VATSIM where controllers may reference QFE, or when using aircraft with selectable altimeter datum features.
  • QNH - Altimeter Setting (MSL)
  • PAPI - Precision Approach Path Indicator
  • RVR - Runway Visual Range