Okuzeka
Aviation vocabulary · Navigation & Instruments

Airspeed

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/ˈerspiːd/nounCore term

In aviation, airspeed means: The speed of an aircraft relative to the air around it, which is what keeps it flying. Whenever there is wind, it is different from the ground speed.

In Turkish: hava sürati, hava hızı

How it is used

Pilots use indicated airspeed (IAS) to fly the aircraft and true airspeed (TAS) for navigation, both in knots. At high levels the Mach number is used. ATC gives speed instructions such as 'reduce speed to 210 knots'.

Example sentences

  1. Our airspeed was 250 knots, but with the headwind our ground speed was only 190.

  2. Unreliable airspeed indications can be caused by a blocked pitot tube.

Common collocations

  • indicated airspeed
  • true airspeed
  • airspeed indicator
  • unreliable airspeed
  • maintain airspeed
  • knotThe unit of speed used in aviation and at sea: one nautical mile per hour, which is about 1.85 kilometres per hour.
  • headwindA wind that blows against the direction an aircraft is moving. It lowers the ground speed but helps the aircraft take off and land in a shorter distance.
  • stallA sudden loss of lift that happens when the wing meets the air at too steep an angle, so the airflow can no longer follow its upper surface.
  • altitudeThe vertical distance of an aircraft above mean sea level, usually given in feet. Height, by contrast, is measured from the ground or the airport.

More terms: Navigation & Instruments

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