Tailwind

Tailwind

Equations of motion

Published in Mohammad H. Sadraey, Aircraft Performance, 2017

A wind in an opposite direction of the aircraft direction is called headwind. A wind that has the same direction as the aircraft direction is called tailwind. A wind that blows perpendicular to the aircraft direction is referred to as crosswind. A headwind is beneficial in takeoff and landing, while a tailwind has a negative effect in takeoff and landing. The reason is that a headwind makes the takeoff run and landing run shorter (safer), while a tailwind makes the takeoff run and landing run longer. Since the runway length is limited in every airport, this may be a problem for some aircraft that need long runways. The problem with a crosswind during takeoff and landing is that it pushes the aircraft out of the runway. Thus, pilots need to employ their training skills to hold the aircraft inside and along the runway.

On the evaluation of visual nudges to promote safe cycling: Can we encourage lower speeds at intersections?

View Article

Journal Information

Published in Traffic Injury Prevention, 2022

Jordanka Kovaceva, Pontus Wallgren, Marco Dozza

Winds can often be considered the most challenging weather aspect of cycling, especially in a city close to the sea, such as Göteborg. In this study, when taking into consideration the wind, the apparently contradicting results across locations were not evident any longer. The main effect of the wind was, of course, significant, confirming that tailwind increases speed while headwind reduces it. These two results combined suggest that the effect of the nudge was smaller than the wind effect. Further, future evaluations of such speed nudges should not neglect wind direction.

Explore chapters and articles related to this topic

Equations of motion

On the evaluation of visual nudges to promote safe cycling: Can we encourage lower speeds at intersections?