Aileron Airfoil True Airspeed 
Pilot Institute
JULY 11, 2025
Key Takeaways Mach number is a dimensionless ratio of true airspeed to local speed of sound. Mach number is simply a ratio of your true airspeed to the local speed of sound. Air density drops with altitude, so for a given true speed, dynamic pressure (and thus IAS) will be lower at high altitudes. Here’s why.
Flying Magazine
MAY 1, 2024
Despite the early invention of the aileron, wing warping continued to be used, even on some fighters, as late as 1916. The function of an aileron, or any hinged trailing-edge surface, is commonly explained in ground school by simple analogy to, say, a door opened on a windy day. It affects the entire area ahead of the aileron as well.
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