What unit is the speed of an aeroplane measured in?

Question

is the speed measured in miles per hour?

Answer 1

Airspeed is measured in knots (nautical miles per hour) at speeds well below the speed of sound. When closer to the speed of sound, speed is measured in Mach Numbers where Mach 1 is the speed of sound at the altitude where the plane is flying. (660 mph at 36,000 ft)

Answer 2

Firstly, there is no such thing as Knots per hour. 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour.

As for what units of speed aircraft are measured in, well it really depends on what aircraft you are flying.

Granted, in most commercial planes speed is measured in knots, but also in Mach number, which is the True Airspeed / Local Speed of sound. (Local speed of sound = 38.95 x √ temperature (in degrees absolute)

However, if you happen to fly in a russian plane or a chinese plane, it's measured in Kilometers and the DME is also in Kms.

If you fly something like a small cessna (the earlier versions of the C150), then some of the airspeed indicators are calibrated in miles per hour.

Answer 3

The Cessna 172 I'm getting my license in measures speed in Miles per hour, not nautical miles per hour. So yeah it depenmds on the plane, but now and days the newer US aircraft will measure in knots, like everyone else has so nicely put it.

Answer 4

many aircraft airspeed indicators have mph on the outer scale and knots on the inner scale. Over time, many sectional, wac, enroute charts and approach plates went through stages of development where a pilot had to determine if the stated distances were in nautical or statute miles. Additionally many of the FAA flight regulations referenced statute miles for various flight restrictions weather reporting and so on. Any student pilot even today that has used an E6B flight computer knows that the calculations may be done in either statute or nautical. There has not been that big of deal made over this by pilots, we simply make sure we are aware of stated values and convert appropriately as needed. I might add that many aircraft flight manuals state performance based on mph. ;) makes us think we are going faster anyway! When dealing with air traffic control your reported speed on their radar screen and any speed or distance quoted by them is nautical.

Answer 5

Airspeed is usually measured in knots, that is, one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is about equal to 1.15 miles, so a speed of 100 knots would be 115 miles per hour.

Answer 6

Most aircraft use nautical miles, some use miles and some (Russian aircraft) use kilometers.

This is for low altitude flight, above a certain altitude called Transition Altitude and varies for each aircraft, but is around 24,000 feet, they begin to use Mach.

The Indicated Airspeed (IAS) on aircraft will vary (lower) from the True Airspeed (TAS) at a rate of (about) 2 knots per 1000 feet. Above the Transition Altitude, it is more accurate to use Mach than indicated airspeed.

Answer 7

Depends on the A/C. If they're supersonic, Mach numbers. Most A/C are in Knots, some older small A/C have MPH on the airspeed. But MOST are knots

Answer 8

Usually in knots (Nautical Miles).

Answer 9

the in ordinary words one on that you'll fairly dangle your hat is c, the speed of light in a vacuum. yet on your applications, they are going to be a ratio of displacement (in reality distance, in widely used English) over the years, because that in favourite applications, the dependence of length and time on c, Lorentz transformations, and your inertial reference element isn't significant. you've a competent answer from gintable, yet you may fairly use any distance degree you need, and any time measurement you need, although some will be somewhat unwieldy. there turned right into a math instructor i did not get alongside with in severe college, so I once phrased my speeds in the subjects she gave in "furlongs in accordance to fortnight," yet that changed into merely being hardheaded.

Answer 10

Knots or nautical miles