Measuring An Aircraft Speed
How Aircraft Speed Is Measured
Aircraft speed is usually measured with an airspeed indicator in the cockpit. This instrument works with a pitot-static system, which compares air pressure from a forward-facing tube and a static air port to calculate speed through the air.
Important point: this is airspeed, not ground speed. Airspeed tells the pilot how fast the airplane is moving relative to the surrounding air, while ground speed depends on wind and GPS.
Simple version
Pitot tube faces the airflow and measures total pressure.
Static ports measure outside air pressure.
The instrument compares both pressures.
The result becomes the aircraft’s airspeed reading.
Useful terms
IAS: Indicated Airspeed.
TAS: True Airspeed.
Mach: Speed compared with the speed of sound
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