I just don't believe this thread!
Experienced pilots thinking airspeed is in any way affected by turning up or downwind? Jeez! I've only ever before come across such gross misunderstanding among model flyers who remain earthbound and assign mass accelerations to their model rather than the air mass it is flying in!
Model flyers, leaning into a 20 knt wind, may be forgiven for not knowing that as far as an aeroplane is concerned there is no wind once it is off the ground and in the air. Aeroplane pilots should know better.
Good grief have you guys never flown a level constant bank angle 360 and noted no change in airspeed all the way round? Sure, you won't describe a circle over the ground unless you are in still air, but that because your groundspeed will change throughout due the wind.
This is REALLY basic stuff!
Two things you should be aware of:
1) Wind sure affects groundspeed, so watch your navigation, and of course it can make the transition between ground and air and back again a bit tricky.
2) All of the above applies to a steady wind only. Gusts, and wind gradients (or wind shear) have a very real change of airspeed effect which is dependent on the inertia of the aeroplane. But those are not steady-state wind conditions relative to the aeroplane.
Oh, and there's a third one, very relevant if you are flying low. Turning downwind in a strong wind gives the illusion of skidding during the turn as the groundspeed rapidly increases, and can temp a pilot to pull back to slow down as the ground, which was creeping past before, is now racing by. Look at the ASI.Your airspeed HAS NOT CHANGED, but your groundspeed sure has!
There are some posts on this thread that surprise me in that they have been posted by pilots I thought knew these basics, then some.