Finding the velocity of wind that affects an airplane

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the wind velocity affecting a small airplane flying at 145 km/h south, with an airspeed of 172 km/h south. The key takeaway is that airspeed represents the airplane's speed relative to the surrounding air, which is a vector quantity. To find the wind velocity, one must consider the difference between the airplane's ground speed and its airspeed. The wind velocity can be determined by subtracting the airplane's speed from its airspeed, resulting in a wind velocity of 27 km/h south.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vector quantities in physics
  • Basic knowledge of relative motion concepts
  • Familiarity with airspeed and ground speed definitions
  • Ability to perform vector subtraction
NEXT STEPS
  • Study vector addition and subtraction in physics
  • Learn about the principles of relative motion
  • Explore the concept of airspeed versus ground speed in aviation
  • Investigate how wind affects flight dynamics and navigation
USEFUL FOR

Aerospace engineers, pilots, physics students, and anyone interested in understanding the effects of wind on aircraft performance.

Drex7
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Homework Statement


A small airplane flies at a velocity of 145 km/h toward the south as observed by a person on the gound. The airplane plot measures an air velocity of 172 km/h south. What is the velocity of the wind that affects the plane?

Beyond knowing the velocity of both the plane and the wind and that they are both vector quantities going in the same direction, I'm unsure where to go from there and how exactly to answer the question. My initial thought was that there would not be just a portion of the wind's velocity that would affect the plane's. 172 km/h seems too simple. Please help clarify, thank you.
 
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I'm not really sure about what I'm going to say now, so please correct me, but in my opinion what the pilot can measure is the speed of the wind "in comaprison" (damn, my lack of english vocabulary is disturbing) to the plane. Imagine that it doesn't say "wind" in the exercise, but "another plane", and our pilot measures, that it's flying 172 km/h in the same direction he is. What velocity of the other plane would someone standing on the ground observe, if "our" plane was flying 145 km/h?
 
Welcome to PF!

Hi Drex7! Welcome to PF! :smile:
Drex7 said:
A small airplane flies at a velocity of 145 km/h toward the south as observed by a person on the gound. The airplane plot measures an air velocity of 172 km/h south. What is the velocity of the wind that affects the plane?

Beyond knowing the velocity of both the plane and the wind …

No, air velocity … also called airspeed … is the speed of the plane relative to the air (rather like the speed of a ship relative to the water). :wink:

(and yes, it is a stupid name, but you're going to have to put up with it! o:))
 

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