Did you Know There Are Four Types of Airspeed?

 

If you are thinking about becoming a professional pilot, you’ll find understanding the four different types of airspeed to be interesting — and important to be a safe pilot. What are these types? Groundspeed, true airspeed, indicated airspeed (IAS), and calibrated airspeed (CAS).

 

Groundspeed:  Did you realize that the speed shown on your plane’s indicator my not be the actual speed of the aircraft? There are other factors such as wind who can affect the aircraft’s “true speed.”

 

True Airspeed: This is a measure of the speed of an airplane in relations to the airflow around it. This can vary with differing types of air density.  And as you may know, air density can vary at different altitudes.

 

Indicated Airspeed (IAS): This is especially important as it indicates the bounds (minimum and maxium) airspeed that the particular model of aircraft is capable of safely operating within.

 

Calibrated Airspeed (CAS): This includes or accounts for any position error that an aircraft experiences.

 

And why should you care? For example, if your airspeed indicator shows a stall speed at 50 knots IAS, the aircraft could in fact stall at a CAS of 58 knots. The differences between IAS and CAS may vary or increase depending on the tupe of aircraft you are flying and certain other factors.

 

Sound a little confusing? If you train at Phoenix East Aviation, you will quickly learn such things about flying — and soon they will become second nature.  See www.pea.com and learn how you can become a pilot.