Which altitude is defined as the pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature?

• A. Density altitude
• B. Absolute altitude
• C. True altitude
• D. Pressure altitude

Answer: (A)

Density altitude is the altitude in the standard atmosphere at which the air density would be the same as the density you’re currently experiencing. Pressure altitude tells you what altitude your air pressure corresponds to in a standard atmosphere, but it doesn’t account for how warm or cold the air actually is. When the temperature is not standard, air density changes, and that change is captured by correcting pressure altitude for the nonstandard temperature. In practical terms, hotter-than-standard air makes density altitude rise (air is thinner, performance suffers), while cooler-than-standard air makes density altitude fall. That correction is exactly what density altitude represents.

True altitude is your actual height above mean sea level, and absolute altitude (in aviation terms) is height above the surface (ground). Pressure altitude is just altitude based on standard pressure, without accounting for temperature.