légsebesség

Légsebesség, which translates to airspeed in English, is a fundamental concept in aviation and aerodynamics. It refers to the speed of an aircraft relative to the surrounding air mass. This is distinct from ground speed, which is the speed of the aircraft relative to the surface of the Earth. Airspeed is crucial for a number of reasons, including maintaining lift, controlling the aircraft, and ensuring safe flight operations.

There are several ways to measure airspeed. Indicated airspeed (IAS) is the raw speed displayed by the airspeed indicator, which is typically driven by a pitot-static system. This system measures the difference between total air pressure and static air pressure. Calibrated airspeed (CAS) is IAS corrected for instrument and position errors. True airspeed (TAS) is CAS corrected for air density variations due to altitude and temperature. For a given engine setting and attitude, TAS generally increases with altitude because the air is less dense.

Another important airspeed is ground speed (GS). This is the actual speed of the aircraft over the ground and is calculated by taking the true airspeed and factoring in the effect of wind. If an aircraft is flying with a tailwind, its ground speed will be higher than its true airspeed. Conversely, a headwind will reduce the ground speed below the true airspeed. Understanding the difference between airspeed and ground speed is essential for flight planning, navigation, and determining arrival times. Pilots must constantly monitor and manage their airspeed to maintain safe flight parameters, such as stall speed and maximum operating speed.