how about turning ON wind???

[Ghosth]

Smoking loon, I think I'd listen to kvuo75 sir.

I've got a film where I flew the D3a1 through a hanger, backwards. 65mph wind and with full flaps the Val flys backwards sweet as can be. She doesn't care if that is a head wind, or a tail wind. Only getting up from the ground, and getting back down are tricky. Once up she'll fly 60 mph (and go backwards at 5 mph) turn, loop, doesn't matter.

Once your up off the ground, 200 mph is 200 mph, the only difference to the plane is going to be in distance covered. 20 mph headwind means your doing 180 mph ground, 20mph tailwind = 220 over the ground. But the Plane is doing 200, and really doesn't much care if the wind fluctuates + or -.

[SmokinLoon]

FWIW, my instructor is a major in the SDANG.  He flies a cargo plane (CN235 or C5A, I forgot.) and has done 2 tours in Iraq.  For his "real" job he flies a corporate jet in and out of Sioux Falls on a regular basis.  I cant put him here at my keyboard to have him spell out what he was trying to convey that day, but I find it interesting that I have fellas here claiming wind makes no difference on aircraft performance while I can vouch that the wee little Cessna 150 I'm earning my hours in (which was built in Feb 1973 and is 7 months older than me  ) sure feels like it handles different when I'm fighting (or garnering) wind.  Likewise, it seems to need to fight that much more to maintain its 80mph when going into the wind at an angle.  When turning with the wind the 150 sure seems to grab quicker as well, meaning less control input is needed to get the turn angle desired.  Is that is in my imagination???  Obviously, I don't push the 150 any harder than needed, I'm not going to do snap rolls for arguments sake.     

I understand completely the TAS/IAS /GS with the +/- wind speed.  Elementary flight student stuff.  Me thinks there is a missing communication link in my point.        

You didn't comment on the "going with the wind" perspective.  No better speed or increased range?         

[kvuo75]

You didn't comment on the "going with the wind" perspective.  No better speed or increased range?         

thats what I meant by ias/tas/gs..


gs is just tas + wind, so yes, you will have better groundspeed / range with the wind. the tas is same no matter what direction.

as for thinking it's handling differently, it must be in your imagination, probably because youre using the ground as a reference.. i tried to make that point before. the plane doesn't care about where it is over the ground.. it only flies thru the air mass.

i'll try another example..
you're going 80mph tas, into a 80mph headwind..

groundspeed 0. right? right. in relation to the ground, you're hovering. the plane is going 80mph though.

bank the plane into a gentle turn, and maintain altitude..

it will still be going 80 mph tas. about 90 degrees thru the turn, your groundpseed will be 80mph

as you complete the u-turn,your tas is still 80mph.. your groundspeed is now 160.. the plane did not stall because of an 80mph tail wind.