Originally Posted by
ryan1234
Everyone here is pretty much in agreement with the notion to increase airspeed in a head wind for best range...
I am not in agreement. I consulted a couple of standard engineering texts on this and unless I am missing something, then the speed through the air the airplane "sees" is what counts. Ground speed has nothing to do with it. If the airplane does happen to "see" a higher speed due to headwinds, then it needs to adjust to bring it back to the calculated Vg speed based on the equation shown in my earlier post. Perhaps the confusion here is that if this speeds drops or increases by the action of local wind, then the airplane may be climbed or descended a little to account for the change in total airspeed. This would be done to bring the airspeed back to the correct Vg for best range. Otherwise the airplane is not at L/D max and is not going as far due to the excess drag.
Originally Posted by
NoyGonnaDoIt
Every time I see one of these discussions I try to picture a solo pilot, faced with a sudden powerplant failure, pulling out his E6B and calculator so that he can accurately figure out the precise indicated airspeed to use to maximize his glide...
... for the 30 seconds since a minute later, the airplane will be lower, maybe turning toward a landing site (although maybe not with the pilot's head in the cockpit figuring out best speed) and the calculation will need to be done all over again.
I know. I know. I like an academic discussion as much as the next guy, but still...
Garmin G1000 and some other panels do it for you. I get the student to check the airspeed tape for the location of the Vg mark and have them fly that.