Show off your nav skills

[Tom22]

A helicopter takes 3 hours to fly from Fairview to Ashland and 2 and 1/3 hours to return from Ashland to Fairview. If the wind velocity is 15 knots from the west on both trips what is the airspeed of the helicopter? Ashland is west of Fairview.

Edited December 14, 2014 by Tom22

[Azhigher]

Do your own homework, Tom.

[Tom22]

Azhigher, you’re no fun – LOL!

[terminal_velo]

Not an appropriate response, Azhigher.

 

Rather than giving him no answer, give him a wrong one.

[rotormandan]

The answer is always 42. For life, the universe, and everything, and Tom's questions too.

[Tom22]

Think distance equals rate times time. D = R(T)

[adam32]

What kind of helicopter? Piston or turbine? Semi rigid, rigid, full articulated? How much fuel on board? Male or female pilot? When was it's last annual and 100 hour? Time left on the main rotor blades?

[CharyouTree]

Think distance equals rate times time. D = R(T)

 

As you don't actually provide a D, this isn't really a Nav skills problem, but a math problem, solving for multiple variables.

[Tom22]

Well, although it is not explicitly stated, distance is in the problem.

[Tom22]

Airspeed = 120 knots. Thanks for playing along.

[WolftalonID]

No it was 42!!!

[Eric Hunt]

Makes about as much sense as this question:

 

"If it takes a yard and a half of calico to weave an elephant's underpants, how long will it take a double-breasted cockroach to tap-dance through a barrel of treacle?"

[d10]

It makes sense as a math problem. You don't even really need to know distance since you know both legs are the same. You can set the rate * time part of the distance formula for both legs equal to each other and solve for rate.

 

2 1/3(k+15)=3(k-15)

7/9(k+15)=k-15

7k/9+105/9=k-15

240/9=2k/9

k=120

 

This doesn't have much applicability as a helicopter pilot problem since you usually know rate and you want to know time, so maybe this wasn't the best forum for it, but claiming it makes no sense or that it's unsolvable isn't a good look when it's just a basic algebra problem. There are lots of opportunities to use algebra and even more advanced math to improve your decision making as a pilot, so I do think it's useful to know this stuff.

[akscott60]

I let the aircraft tell me.

[Flying Pig]

This discussion pains my soul

[Gomer Pylot]

Helicopter pilots tend to be practical. An airspeed indicator is required to be installed and operational before a flight can begin, so a problem requiring solving for airspeed isn't something they tend to care about. Find something with more applicability to actual helicopter flying and you'll probably have more luck.

[zippiesdrainage]

Come on guys, obviously the helicopter suffered a bird strike on it's way to Fairview causing the plexi-glass windshield to break, making the aircraft less aerodynamic, increasing the drag and flying at a slower pace than the ASI is showing. The pilot has the screen replaced while he hits on the waitress in the airport restaurant and the helicopter is more aerodynamic on the way back, suffers less drag and makes better time.

 

It's so simple, why over complicate things?

 

-Or-

 

Blame the copilot for screwing up the flight plan.

Edited December 16, 2014 by zippiesdrainage

[Astro]

Find something with more applicability to actual helicopter flying and you'll probably have more luck.

A Robbie and a Schwiezer are at 800 feet. Deciding to race they both chop the throttle. Who's auto will reach the ground first?

[Lindsey]

It makes sense as a math problem. You don't even really need to know distance since you know both legs are the same. You can set the rate * time part of the distance formula for both legs equal to each other and solve for rate.

 

2 1/3(k+15)=3(k-15)

7/9(k+15)=k-15

7k/9+105/9=k-15

240/9=2k/9

k=120

 

This doesn't have much applicability as a helicopter pilot problem since you usually know rate and you want to know time, so maybe this wasn't the best forum for it, but claiming it makes no sense or that it's unsolvable isn't a good look when it's just a basic algebra problem. There are lots of opportunities to use algebra and even more advanced math to improve your decision making as a pilot, so I do think it's useful to know this stuff.

You can do math???

[arotrhd]

C'mon folks...it's about HELICOPTERS and some other things that were posed to intentionally throw you off.

This really is not a nav or math problem, IT'S A MONEY PROBLEM; therefore, a solution is unlikely.

 

 

-WATCH FOR THE PATTERNS, WATCH FOR THE WIRES-

[SBuzzkill]

The gravity drive folds space to make point A and point B exist in the same place. The helicopter then passes through to the other side and space returns to normal.

 

So my answer is ~10 knots.