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Old 12th Jan 2014, 10:59
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Scott C
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Rugby
Age: 33
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Taking off into wind

Your airspeed is still the same, 60kts, so therefore your relative forward motion is still 60kts.

With a 50kts headwind, your ground speed would decrease to 10kts, so you would still be flying along at 60kts airspeed, but you would only be flying at 10kts relative to the ground.

Say, for instance, you took off then turned downwind. Your airspeed would still be 60kts, but your ground speed would become 110kts as you now have a 50kt tailwind.

Airspeed and ground speed are two completely separate things, so don't get them confused.
Also, if you're planning a flight on a windy day, make sure you do a thorough fuel calculation, as even with full tanks, you may not make your destination!
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