Plane and Wind

Solving Problems Using Vectors A plane is heading due south with an airspeed of 246 mph. A wind from a direction of 57° is blowing at 15 mph. Find the bearing of the plane ° Green line is the new direction of the plane.

First Find the Length of the Green Line We know that the obtuse angle in the triangle is 123 o because it is supplementary to the 57 o angle o 123 o

Now Find the Angle We can find the angle between the original and new directions of the plane o

Now Find the New Bearing of the Plane If alpha is approximately 3, the new bearing is approximately 183 o. 183 o