Flight Speed and Distance
How Airspeed Changes With Altitude
Hold one calibrated airspeed in a climb and true airspeed and Mach number both rise. A table for 200 kt in the standard atmosphere shows by how much.
Aviation Guides
Aviation Units and Conversions
Aviation Distance Units Explained
Nautical miles, statute miles, kilometers, feet and meters each have an exact definition. See where each is used and how to convert without errors.
Flight Speed and Distance
Understanding Mach Number
Mach number is true airspeed divided by the local speed of sound. See why temperature alone sets that speed and how one airspeed gives two Mach numbers.
Flight Speed and Distance
How Pilots Calculate Flight Time
Flight time is distance divided by ground speed. See how to convert decimal hours, why headwinds cost more than tailwinds return, and how to work leg by leg.
Flight Speed and Distance
True Airspeed vs Indicated Airspeed
Indicated, calibrated, equivalent and true airspeed are links in one chain of corrections. Learn what each one means and how one becomes the next.
Flight Speed and Distance
Understanding Ground Speed in Aviation
Ground speed is true airspeed and wind added as vectors. See the wind triangle formula, a worked example and why a pure crosswind still slows you down.