Definition
A cockpit gauge in a pressurized aircraft that displays the rate at which the pressure inside the cabin is changing, expressed as feet per minute of equivalent altitude change. It shows how fast the cabin is being 'climbed' or 'descended' by the pressurization system, independent of the actual rate of climb or descent of the airplane.
Plain English
An instrument that tells the pilot how quickly the air pressure inside the cabin is rising or falling, shown as if the cabin were going up or down in altitude.
Context Anchor
Seen on pressurized aircraft panels during climb, cruise, and descent while monitoring the cabin pressurization system.
Derivation
Rate of climb means how fast altitude is increasing. In this term, it is applied to cabin altitude, which is the cabin's pressure level expressed as an altitude, not to the airplane's actual climb.
Why Pilots Care
It lets the crew verify that cabin pressure changes remain within comfortable limits and detect pressurization malfunctions early.
Intuition Check
Do not read “rate-of-climb” here as the airplane’s climb rate. Here it means how fast the cabin pressure level is changing.
Example Sentence 1
During the climb to cruise altitude, the pilot adjusted the pressurization controller to keep the cabin rate-of-climb instrument showing about 500 feet per minute.
Example Sentence 2
A sudden zero reading on the cabin rate-of-climb instrument after takeoff prompted the crew to check the outflow valve.