The height of an aircraft above sea level usually expressed in feet.

• A. Altitude
• B. AGL
• C. Elevation
• D. Ground Level

Answer: (A)

Altitude is the vertical distance of an aircraft above mean sea level, and in aviation this is the reference used for how high you are, typically stated in feet. This makes altitude the correct term for a height above sea level, because it uses a fixed reference (MSL) that doesn’t depend on what’s underneath you.

AGL, or above-ground level, is height above the terrain directly beneath the aircraft, which varies with terrain and man-made structures. Elevation refers to the height of a point or terrain feature above mean sea level, not the aircraft’s height. Ground Level isn’t a standard aviation term for describing an aircraft’s height.