The Four Different Types of Airspeed

If you’re considering a career as a professional pilot, it’s important that you understand the four different types of airspeed. This information will allow you to be a safer and more confident pilot. In this article, we will discuss the four types of airspeed and some information about each of them.

Four Types of Airspeed

• Groundspeed – It’s important that you know that the speed shown on your plane’s indicator might not be the actual speed of your aircraft. Wind and other factors can affect the true speed of your aircraft.
• True Airspeed – True speed is a measure of the speed of your aircraft in relation to the airflow around it. Obviously, the true speed will vary depending on the air density, which will vary depending on the altitude!
• Indicated Airspeed – Indicated airspeed (also known as IAS) is very important. This is because it will indicate the minimum and maximum airspeed that your particular aircraft is capable of safely operating within.
• Calibrated Airspeed – Also known as CAS, the calibrated airspeed will account for any positional error that your aircraft may experience.

These things are important to know. For example, if your airspeed indication shows a stall speed of 55 knots IAS, your aircraft could actually stall at a CAS of 60 knots. The differences between CAS and IAS can depend on the type of aircraft you’re operating as well as many other factors.

Here at CW Flight, we want to make sure that our students feel comfortable operating their aircraft. For more information about learning to become a professional pilot, please contact our Salt Lake City Cirrus training and flight school today!