Definition
An instrument in a pressurized aircraft that displays the rate at which cabin pressure altitude is rising or falling, expressed in feet per minute. It shows how quickly the cabin is being pressurized or depressurized, not how fast the aircraft itself is climbing or descending.
Plain English
A gauge that tells the pilot how fast the air pressure inside the cabin is changing, shown as if the cabin were going up or down through the atmosphere at so many feet per minute.
Context Anchor
Seen on or near the pressurization controls in aircraft equipped with a cabin pressurization system.
Why Pilots Care
It lets the pilot verify that cabin pressure changes stay within safe, comfortable limits for passengers and crew.
Grounding Statement
If passengers’ ears start popping during a pressure change, this instrument is the gauge that shows how quickly that change is happening.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as the airplane’s climb rate. It shows the cabin’s pressure change, expressed as an altitude change.
Example Sentence 1
During the climb, the pilot adjusted the pressurization controller to keep the cabin rate-of-climb indicator showing 500 feet per minute for passenger comfort.
Example Sentence 2
On descent the cabin rate-of-climb indicator showed a steady 300 feet per minute, confirming the pressurization system was maintaining passenger comfort.