Definition
An established reference value, condition, or procedure used as a baseline for comparison or compliance in aviation. The most common use is in reference to standard atmospheric conditions (29.92 inches of mercury / 1013.2 hPa pressure and 15°C temperature at sea level), and to standard altimeter settings used at and above 18,000 feet MSL in the U.S.
Plain English
A fixed, agreed-on reference value or way of doing something that everyone uses, so results can be compared fairly and pilots and controllers stay on the same page.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbooks, charts, notices, checklists, and NOTAM-style text where space is limited.
Derivation
From Old French estandart, meaning a flag or banner used as a rallying point. Over time it came to mean any agreed reference everyone lines up to. In aviation, that is exactly the idea: a shared reference point so pilots, controllers, and engineers all measure from the same baseline.
Why Pilots Care
Standard references allow accurate performance predictions and safe cross-country flight planning regardless of local conditions.
Intuition Check
Standard does not just mean average or ordinary here. In FAA use, it means established or approved as the reference to use unless something specifically changes it.
Example Sentence 1
Climbing through 18,000 feet, the pilot set the altimeter to the standard setting of 29.92.
Example Sentence 2
Under standard conditions the aircraft's rate of climb matched the handbook value.