Back in 1991 I was the FO on a flight from LAX-AMS. We were presented with a flight plan that had an average tailwind component of 105 knots. On one section of our flight (around the US-Canadian border) I observed a ground speed of 722 knots. Our TAS was around 500 knots. The entire wind vector was on our tail at that time. The speed in excess of 700 knots lasted about 20 minutes. Since that time I have seen speeds in the high 600’s regularly, but never did I see 700 again. Our total flight time for the sector was 8 hours and 52 minutes. I believe it still stands as the fastest LAX-AMS flight for our company. Shows that it made an impact, being able to recall it with this amount of detail 13 years later.
Regards O.