28/11/2023
When you write, get it right! Altitude versus elevation.
"Elevation" is used in a terrestrial context as the ground height above mean sea level. For example, Denver, Colorado is known as the "Mile High City" because it sits at an elevation of 5,280 feet (the number of feet in a mile) above mean sea level.
"Altitude" is used in the context of the distance above ground, given in reference either to Mean Sea Level (MSL) or to local ground level (Above Ground Level, or AGL). Airplanes are given an altitude at which to fly - for example, 35,000 feet above mean sea level. A drone, however, has a legal height, or altitude, limit of 400 feet above ground level.
From Hartzellprop.com: Absolute altitude refers to the actual distance the aircraft is flying in relation to the ground and is expressed in “feet above ground level.” This type of altitude is generally determined using a radar altimeter, which measures how long it takes radar signals to reach the ground and reflect up to the plane. (May 15, 2018)
From boldmethod.com: True altitude is the vertical distance of your airplane above sea level. Commonly expressed as "feet MSL" (feet above mean sea level), many of the airspace altitudes, terrain figures, airways, and obstacles you'll find on aeronautical charts are expressed in true altitude (MSL), feet above sea level. (Oct 1, 2022)
However, "altitude sickness" is the common term for adverse symptoms that may occur when travelling above 8,000 feet or so of elevation (per the CDC), due to lower oxygen content in the air, when one is not acclimated to such elevations. Since this condition can be fatal, I suggest you read the CDC page about the illness here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/travel-to-high-altitudes
From English Usage Hints and Tips: https://EnglishUsageHintsAndTips.com
Word Pairs between-and; from-to; either-or; whether-or; whether versus if Posted by Administrator on Thursday, January 14. 2021
