A BE35 PLT TOOK OFF WITH THE WRONG ALTIMETER SETTING AND THEN CLBED ABOVE HIS ASSIGNED ALT. THE ALERT APCH CTLR GAVE HIM THE CORRECT SETTING.

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I HAD DEPARTED BOWMAN FIELD VFR WITH A CLRNC THROUGH CLASS C AIRSPACE (SDF) ENRTE TO GLASGOW; KY. PRIOR TO DEP; I TUNED FOR BOWMAN ATIS; BUT IT WAS OFF THE AIR. WHILE PERFORMING PRE TAXI OPS; I NEGLECTED TO SET THE ALTIMETER. A FRONT HAD PASSED THROUGH THE AREA; AND THE ALTIMETER SETTING HAD CHANGED DRAMATICALLY SINCE MY LAST FLT. AFTER INITIAL VECTORS FROM SDF APCH; I WAS CLRED TO MY REQUESTED CRUISING ALT OF 6500 FT. I LEVELED OFF AT 6500 FT INDICATED MSL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CTLR ADVISED ME THAT I WAS INDICATING ON RADAR MODE C AS LEVEL AT 7000 FT MSL. I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED; AND ADVISED THE CTLR THAT I WAS INDICATING 6500 FT; BUT WOULD DSND 500 FT. THE CTLR RESPONDED WITH THE CURRENT SDF ALTIMETER SETTING. AS I ADJUSTED MY ALTIMETER; THE INDICATED ALT INCREASED TO 7000 FT MSL. I DSNDED IMMEDIATELY TO 6500 FT MSL. THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY MY HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS DUE TO DELAY IN MY DEP TIME; AND THE FACT THAT I WAS LATE. EVEN SO; I WOULD HAVE ADJUSTED MY ALTIMETER BEFORE TKOF; HAD THE ATIS BEEN WORKING. MY NORMAL SEQUENCE OF PRE TAXI OPS WAS DISRUPTED BY THE ABSENCE OF ATIS; AND MY HASTE TO DEPART RESULTED IN MY FAILURE TO REQUEST THE ALTIMETER SETTING FROM GND CTL. FORTUNATELY; THERE WAS NO CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT. I COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SIT BY REFERRING TO MY CHKLIST; AND NOT DEPENDING ON MY MEMORY AND THE ATIS BROADCAST.