What This Calculates
Ground speed is an aircraft’s actual speed relative to the ground, which differs from true airspeed whenever wind is present. Pilots use the ‘wind triangle’ to combine these vectors during flight planning.
The Method
The aircraft’s velocity vector (from true airspeed and heading) is added vectorially to the wind’s velocity vector (from wind speed and direction) to get the resulting ground speed and track over the ground.
For general educational and planning purposes; does not replace certified flight-planning software or official navigation procedures.
Last reviewed August 2026