Let's say an airplane is tied down to the runway, engine not running, with 100 kts of headwind straight down the runway. The IAS would be 100 kts, right? Okay what would happen if we untied the airplane? For arguments sake lets say the plane lifts off the ground (due to air going over wings) As the plane becomes part of the airmass in which it is "flying" the groundspeed would be negative (or positive in the opposite direction). What would happen to the IAS? Considering the following, admittedly rudimentary formula: IAS-headwind=ground speed If we have a negative ground speed and a constant headwind of 100 knots wouldn't the IAS have to go down? Or, would IAS remain constant in the face of the wind despite the fact that the airplane's only movement is because of the headwind? I got this wrong on a checkride.
The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.