Table of Contents
What are the 3 types of airspeed?
Here are the 4 types of airspeed, and what each means for your flying…
- 1) Indicated Airspeed (IAS) This one’s pretty simple.
- 2) True Airspeed (TAS) True airspeed is the speed of your aircraft relative to the air it’s flying through.
- 3) Groundspeed (GS)
- 4) Calibrated Airspeed (CAS)
Why is airspeed different from Groundspeed?

As mentioned above, true airspeed is simply the speed at which an aircraft is moving relative to the air it is flying in. As such, it’s also the speed at which the air is flowing around the aircraft’s wings. Ground speed, on the other hand, is the aircraft’s speed relative to the ground.
Is airspeed the same as land speed?
Airspeed is the vector difference between the ground speed and the wind speed. On a perfectly still day, the airspeed is equal to the ground speed. But if the wind is blowing in the same direction that the aircraft is moving, the airspeed will be less than the ground speed.
What are the 5 types of airspeed?
5 Types of Airspeed Explained
- Indicated Airspeed (IAS)
- Calibrated Airspeed (CAS)
- Equivalent Airspeed (EAS)
- True Airspeed (TAS)
- Groundspeed (GS)
What does KIAS mean in aviation?

However, when it comes to controlling the aircraft, because the flight characteristics of the aircraft also alter with reduction in atmospheric density, the indicated airspeed is of greater importance than the true airspeed. This is why control speeds (e.g. V1, V2, etc) are given as KIAS (Knots Indicated Airspeed).
What is the most important airspeed?
Other airspeeds On large jet aircraft the IAS is by far the most important speed indicator.
How fast do commercial planes fly?
around 460-575 mph
Most commercial aircraft typically fly at around 460-575 mph, or 740-930 km/h, according to Flight Deck Friend. But private jet speed can vary depending on a variety of factors, such as the weight onboard and the weather conditions.
Why is airspeed important?
That’s why true airspeed is so important. Because true airspeed is the speed your plane is actually passing through the air, it’s used as the basis for your cruise performance calculations.
Why is true airspeed important?
“True airspeed is important because performance charts in your Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) are based on true airspeed. True airspeed is a calculated number depicting how fast the aircraft is moving through a still air mass. It is computed using indicated airspeed, pressure altitude, and temperature.
Why do planes use IAS?
The IAS is an important value for the pilot because it is the indicated speeds which are specified in the aircraft flight manual for such important performance values as the stall speed. These speeds, in true airspeed terms, vary considerably depending upon density altitude.
What does the IAS stand for on an airplane?
Indicated Airspeed
Indicated Airspeed (IAS)
What are the 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).
How fast do military jets go?
The fastest fighter jet is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, capable of Mach 3.2 or 2,190mph. While not as fast as some retired or experimental aircraft, the MiG-25 is the only aircraft in service capable of speeds over Mach 3.0 making it the fastest fighter jet in service today by quite some margin.
Why do we use equivalent airspeed instead of true airspeed?
That’s because your airspeed indicator reports a slower speed than true airspeed as density decreases, based on altitude and air temperature changes.
Why is airspeed important in aviation?
The true airspeed is important information for accurate navigation of an aircraft. To maintain a desired ground track whilst flying in a moving airmass, the pilot of an aircraft must use knowledge of wind speed, wind direction, and true air speed to determine the required heading.
What does Kias mean in aviation?
How much faster is true airspeed than indicated airspeed?
In fact, for every thousand feet above sea level, true airspeed is about 2% higher than indicated airspeed. So at 10,000 feet, true airspeed is roughly 20% faster than what you read off your airspeed indicator.
Why do pilots need to specify the type of airspeed?
Pilots need to specify what type of airspeed is being referred to because there are so many different kinds. Indicated airspeed is easy to read on the instrument, but it’s also subject to many inaccuracies.
What is the definition of airspeed in aviation?
It is also defined as the speed at sea level, under ISA conditions, that would produce the same incompressible dynamic pressure that is produced at the true airspeed for the given aircraft altitude.
What is the caution speed range of the airspeed indicator?
Click on the Airspeed Indicator for a larger view. Beyond the Green Arc, we see the Yellow Arc. The speed range marked by the Yellow Arc is the Caution Speed Range. The Airspeed range indicated by the Yellow Arc is for Smooth Air Only. Operations above Vno (Top of the Green Arc) will bring you into the Caution Range of the Yellow Arc.