flight level
An altitude expressed in hundreds of feet on the standard altimeter setting, used above the transition altitude.
FL350 means 35,000 feet with 1013.25 hPa set rather than the local pressure. Everyone in the upper airspace using the same reference is what keeps vertical separation honest — the actual height above the sea varies with the day's pressure, but the gap between two aircraft does not.
Nearby in Aviation
- flaps — Hinged panels at the trailing edge of the wing that extend to increase lift and drag for takeoff and landing.
- flare — The nose-up check just before touchdown that arrests the descent and sets the aircraft onto its main wheels.
- freighter — An aircraft configured to carry cargo rather than passengers.
- gate — The terminal door a flight boards from, and by extension the parking stand it is attached to.