Which value represents the aircraft's expected performance in no wind conditions?

Which value represents the aircraft's expected performance in no wind conditions?

• A. Groundspeed
• B. True airspeed
• C. Indicated airspeed
• D. Calibrated airspeed

Answer: (B)

True airspeed is the measure that represents the aircraft's expected performance in no wind conditions. It reflects the actual speed of the aircraft relative to the surrounding air, disregarding any influence from wind. In calm conditions, true airspeed indicates how quickly the aircraft is moving through the air mass, which is crucial for performance calculations such as fuel consumption, flight times, and distance traveled. Other speeds such as groundspeed refer to the aircraft’s speed relative to the ground and can be affected by wind, while indicated airspeed is what the pilot reads directly from the airspeed indicator, which may not fully reflect the aircraft’s performance due to factors such as altitude and temperature. Calibrated airspeed takes indicated airspeed and corrects for instrument and position error but still does not accurately reflect the performance in zero wind conditions as true airspeed does.

True airspeed is the measure that represents the aircraft's expected performance in no wind conditions. It reflects the actual speed of the aircraft relative to the surrounding air, disregarding any influence from wind. In calm conditions, true airspeed indicates how quickly the aircraft is moving through the air mass, which is crucial for performance calculations such as fuel consumption, flight times, and distance traveled.

Other speeds such as groundspeed refer to the aircraft’s speed relative to the ground and can be affected by wind, while indicated airspeed is what the pilot reads directly from the airspeed indicator, which may not fully reflect the aircraft’s performance due to factors such as altitude and temperature. Calibrated airspeed takes indicated airspeed and corrects for instrument and position error but still does not accurately reflect the performance in zero wind conditions as true airspeed does.