Determining Wind Velocity From Light Plane Flight

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating wind velocity affecting a light plane's flight. The plane, with an airspeed of 470 km/h, travels 800 km due north but must head 17.0° east of due north to reach its destination in 2.00 hours. The calculations involve vector analysis, where the resultant vector of the plane's airspeed and wind velocity must equal the ground velocity. The final wind velocity is determined through vector resolution and trigonometric functions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vector addition and resolution
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions, specifically tangent and inverse tangent
  • Knowledge of basic physics concepts related to motion and velocity
  • Ability to draw and interpret vector diagrams
NEXT STEPS
  • Learn how to resolve vectors into components using trigonometric functions
  • Study the principles of relative motion in physics
  • Explore the use of vector diagrams for solving motion problems
  • Investigate the application of the Law of Cosines in vector calculations
USEFUL FOR

Aerospace engineers, physics students, and anyone involved in flight dynamics or navigation calculations will benefit from this discussion.

mikenash
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A light plane attains an airspeed of 470 km/h. The pilot sets out for a destination 800 km due north but discovers that the plane must be headed 17.0° east of due north to fly there directly. The plane arrives in 2.00 h. What were the (a) magnitude (in km/h) and (b) direction of the wind velocity? Give the direction as an angle relative to due west, where north of west is a positive angle, and south of west is a negative angle.

Pyj-800j=wj
Pxi=Wxi

attempt

tan inverse
(wx/WY)

then i got lost and do not know how to start the problem
 
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mikenash said:
A light plane attains an airspeed of 470 km/h. The pilot sets out for a destination 800 km due north but discovers that the plane must be headed 17.0° east of due north to fly there directly. The plane arrives in 2.00 h. What were the (a) magnitude (in km/h) and (b) direction of the wind velocity? Give the direction as an angle relative to due west, where north of west is a positive angle, and south of west is a negative angle.

Pyj-800j=wj
Pxi=Wxi

attempt

tan inverse
(wx/WY)

then i got lost and do not know how to start the problem

Draw a vector diagram. One vector [itex]\vec v_{pa}[/itex] represents the velocity of the plane relative to the air. The other vector [itex]\vec v_{ag}[/itex] represents the velocity of the air relative to the ground. What does the resultant vector ([itex]\vec v_{pa}+\vec v_{ag} = \vec v_{pg}[/itex] represent? (Hint: I have given you a hint). Do we know the length of this vector? Do we know the length of [itex]\vec v_{pa}[/itex]? Do we know its angle relative to [itex]\vec v_{pg}[/itex]? Resolve the North and West components of [itex]\vec v_{pa}[/itex]. What do these components plus the North and West components of [itex]\vec v_{ag}[/itex] have to add up to?

AM
 
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