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.
Well, the math is that drag is now more than thrust, so it will cause acceleration in the "tailwards" direction.
This would be the same as flying at 100 kts, then quickly reducing throttle to the thrust you know will sustain 90 knots.
From experience I would say a matter of 5-10ish seconds.