Airplanes, Ground Effect and Indicated Airspeed

Let’s Play it Safe

Plane and Pilot

JULY 10, 2025

Jet pilots are all aware that up in the flight levels, they thrive on the increased true airspeed that the low atmospheric density produces. Up in the flight levels, jets fly at relatively low indicated airspeed and still cruise at 7-8 miles per minute. Third, there is this little thing called ground effect.

Density Altitude

Density Altitude Indicated Airspeed Ground Effect Runway

What NTSB Reports Say About Impossible Turns and Angle of Attack

Air Facts

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

The current emphasis in general aviation (GA) safety is on visual angle of attack (AOA) indicators and impossible turns (return to the airport following engine failure). An incomplete summary description of FASF is whether the airplane made it out of ground effect.

General Aviation

General Aviation Pilot Approach Airplanes

Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts

Chess In the Air

JUNE 24, 2022

This is a hard one to gain insight from other than this: Some atmospheric events are bigger than our plastic airplanes. His ground speed had dropped to 75 kt so he also had less kinetic energy reserve. Without knowing the horizontal wind direction and speed at this point it is impossible to say what his indicated airspeed was.

Pilot

Pilot AGL Wind Shear Runway

Aviator Connection

Let’s Play it Safe

What NTSB Reports Say About Impossible Turns and Angle of Attack

Invisible Trap Kills Glider Pilot – How To Avoid Microbursts

Stay Connected