Horizontal speed, often referred to as groundspeed, is the speed of an aircraft relative to the ground. It’s the actual speed at which the aircraft is moving horizontally across the Earth’s surface. To calculate horizontal speed, you can use the following formula:
- Horizontal Speed is the speed of the aircraft relative to the ground, typically measured in knots (nautical miles per hour) or meters per second (m/s).
- True Airspeed (TAS) is the actual airspeed of the aircraft, measured in knots or meters per second. TAS takes into account altitude and temperature effects on air density, providing a more accurate representation of the aircraft’s true speed through the air.
- Cosine(Heading Angle) is the cosine of the heading angle of the aircraft with respect to its desired course or direction of travel. The heading angle is measured in degrees.