Question

The pilot of an airplane wishes to fly due north, but there is a 36 km/h wind blowing toward the west. (a) In what direction should the pilot head her plane if its speed relative to the air is 350 km/h? (b) Draw a vector diagram that illustrates your result in part (a). (c) If the pilot decreases the airspeed of the plane, but still wants to head due north, should she increase or decrease the angle found in part (a)?

Answer 1

To fly north with a crosswind, the pilot should head her plane slightly east of north. If the airspeed is decreased, the angle of adjustment should also decrease.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the direction the pilot should head her plane, we need to consider the velocity of the plane relative to the ground and the velocity of the wind. Since the wind is blowing towards the west, the pilot should head her plane slightly east of north in order to compensate for the wind. The angle of the plane's velocity relative to north will be determined by the ratio of the wind's speed to the plane's airspeed.

If the pilot decreases the airspeed of the plane but still wants to head due north, she should decrease the angle found in part (a). This is because a lower airspeed means a smaller ratio of wind's speed to plane's speed, requiring the pilot to adjust the plane's direction less to compensate for the wind.