Calibrated altitude is defined as altitude corrected for instrument error.

• A. Instrument error only.
• B. Position error only.
• C. Instrument and position error.
• D. No corrections are applied.

Answer: (A)

Calibrated altitude is the altitude indicated after removing the altimeter’s own mechanical and sensing inaccuracies. The altimeter isn’t perfect: its capsule, gears, and mechanism can introduce errors in how it translates ambient air pressure into an altitude reading. Calibration is the process that accounts for these instrument-related discrepancies so the reading aligns with what the altitude would be if the instrument were perfect.

Position error, on the other hand, comes from where and how the static pressure is tapped on the aircraft and how airflow around the airframe disturbs that pressure. That kind of error isn’t corrected by calibrating the instrument itself; it’s a separate source of error tied to installation and flight condition.

So the definition hinges on correcting instrument error only, not position error. Therefore, no corrections would be applied, or rather only instrument-related corrections are applied.