kallis@pen.DEC (04/17/85)
1) On blind encoders -- they're okay, I guess, but an encoding altimeter
can cost almost as little. When I thought that virtually everything
on the East Coast was going to metamorphize into TCAs, I added an
encoding altimeter to my instrument panel and retained the old one
as a backup.
2) From places like Edmund Scientific, you can pick up pretty accurate
posket altimeters that you can throw into your flight bag. I got
a German-manufactured one that retailed for about $50 that's fairly
accurate (I've checked it against my two while aloft at various
altitudes). They're also fun to take on commercial flights to see
whether the crew's adhering to the FARs on pressurization.
Steve