Asked by Amyy

How did you get your answer?
A plane is heading on a bearing of 200° with an air speed of 400 km/h when it is blown off course by a wind of 100 km/h from the northeast. Determine the resultant ground velocity of the plane.
Answered by Damon
Math teachers do not know navigation English. It drives me crazy.
You do not head on a bearing.
You sail or fly on a heading.

the plane is flying on a heading of 200 (about SSW) at 400 km/h

the plane is also moving at 100 km/h southwest which is 180+45 = 225 degrees

You can do this with components south and west or you can solve a parallelogram

The component way:
speed south = 200 cos 20 + 100 cos 45
= 259 south

speed west = 200 sin 20 + 100 sin 45
= 139 west
so
speed = sqrt (259^2 +139^2)
= 294 km/hr
tan angle west of south = 139/259
angle west of south = 28 degrees
180 + 28 = 208 degrees
so
velocity wrt ground = 294 km/h at 208 degrees clockwise from North
Answered by Damon
"bearing" means what direction you LOOK.
"heading" means what direction you point the vehicle.

As in: We were heading north when we took a bearing of 90 degrees on a lighthouse east of us.
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