Question

You are flying into a 20KT HW on T/O. You do a 180deg turn. What will happen to IAS, TAS and G/S?

a) IAS, TAS, and G/S will all remain the same.
b) IAS will decrease, TAS and G/S will increase.
c) IAS, TAS remains the same. G/S will increase by 40KTS.
d) IAS and TAS will decrease, G/S will increase.

Answer 1

When flying into a headwind and performing a 180-degree turn, IAS and TAS remain unchanged while G/S increases by 40KTS due to the switch from headwind to tailwind.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you are flying into a 20KT headwind on takeoff and you do a 180-degree turn, your Indicated Airspeed (IAS) should remain the same because it is a measure of the air flowing over the airplane's wings irrespective of the wind. However, your True Airspeed (TAS), which is the actual speed of the airplane through the air, will also remain the same because it is not affected by wind direction or speed. Your Groundspeed (G/S), which is the actual speed over the ground, will increase by 40KTs because you will be turning from a headwind to a tailwind scenario and thus with the wind at your back, it increases your speed relative to the ground.

The correct answer to the question is c) IAS, TAS remains the same. G/S will increase by 40KTS.