Real-Life Math
Pilots must have mathematical ability. While the plane's instruments
handle a lot of the details on a large commercial plane, pilots still do plenty
of calculating.
One crucial calculation that pilots must make on every
flight is the ground speed. Flight plans are based on the distance over which
the plane is flying.
The ground speed is a calculation that is done
once the plane is airborne, since it is affected by the speed of any headwinds
or tailwinds. These are best calculated once the plane is on its way. To some
extent, weather tracking equipment can assist with measuring the winds.
Brush
off your pilot's math with some basic problems:
Question
1: You have an air speed of 400 mph and a tailwind of 100 mph. What is
your ground speed?
Question 2: Now, assume you have an air speed
of 400 mph and a headwind of 100 mph. What is the ground speed?
Question
3: At 300 mph ground speed, how long will it take you to travel 1,000
miles?
Now, get ready for a more complicated math problem:
Let's
say you are flying the Dallas-to-Houston route in Texas. It is
a 250-mile trip. You will travel 80 miles while climbing to the cruising altitude
of 29,000 feet. That leaves 170 miles to travel. You need 90 miles to descend
from 29,000 feet to the ground.
You have an air speed of 400 mph and
a headwind of 100 mph. (Actual air speed of 300 mph.)
How long into
the flight do you have to begin your descent?