Drone exam · UAS flight performance

A fixed wing drone flies at the same airspeed on two legs but moves much faster over the ground on one of them. What explains the difference?

Answer

Wind adds to or subtracts from the aircraft's motion over the ground. A tailwind increases groundspeed and a headwind reduces it without changing the commanded airspeed.

Explanation

Navigation time and range depend on groundspeed, while aerodynamic performance depends on speed through the air.