Definition
A pointer on the face of the altimeter that rotates against a graduated scale to display the aircraft's altitude. Most sensitive altimeters use multiple needles: a long needle indicating hundreds of feet and a shorter needle indicating thousands of feet, with a third pointer or window often showing tens of thousands of feet.
Plain English
The hand on the altimeter dial that points to numbers showing how high the airplane is. Like the hands on a clock, but instead of telling time, it tells altitude.
Context Anchor
Seen during the instrument scan, especially when holding altitude in straight-and-level flight.
Derivation
Altimeter comes from Latin words meaning “high” and “measure.” Needle originally meant a small pointed tool; on an instrument, it means the pointed indicator that moves across the display.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate interpretation of the needle position allows pilots to maintain assigned altitudes and avoid altitude deviations.
Analogy
Think of the altimeter needles like the hands on a clock. The long hand sweeps quickly to show smaller changes, while the shorter hand moves slowly to show larger changes.
Intuition Check
Needle does not mean a sharp pin here. It means the moving pointer on the altimeter display.
Example Sentence 1
As the aircraft climbed through 3,500 feet, the long altimeter needle pointed to the 5 and the short needle sat just past the 3.
Example Sentence 2
A slowly rising altimeter needle told the pilot the aircraft was climbing and required a pitch adjustment.