Originally Posted by
bluepost22
Can I propose a gedanken (thought experiment)?
A Cessna is flying into a 10 kt headwind and has ground speed 90 kts. Instantaneously the headwind increases to 20 kts. How long does it take for the Cessna's ground speed to attain 80 kts?
I've always wanted to know.
You could measure that pretty easily. Start with the the the airplane stabilized in a 100 knot cruise, dive the airplane until the speed is above 110 knots, level out, start timing when the airspeed decreases through 110 knots, and stop timing when the airplane stabilizes at 100 knots again. That's how long it takes.