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Old 10th Feb 2017, 12:48
  #302 (permalink)  
glekichi
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: South Island
Age: 43
Posts: 553
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Imagine a 150kt wind (constant airmass, no gusts or wind shear).
Imagine a hot air balloon sitting in that wind. A far as the pilot is concerned there is no 'wind'. It's completely calm sitting there in the balloon. The ground is rushing by at 150kts.
Imagine a Cessna doing orbits around the balloon.
The Cessna is also not feeling the 'wind', other than the 90kts or so that it's flying through the airmass at.
There is no increase or decrease in IAS as it completes the orbit - a nice round orbit completed with a constant angle of bank.
No falling out of the sky.

Yes, it's a bit of a mind bender the first time one thinks about it - hopefully at the PPL training stage.

That is the "downwind turn" concept regarding the visual illusion due to changes in the relative movement of the ground.

Wind changes and wind shear are a completely different issue.
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