Relative wind is the direction of airflow produced by motion through the air. What factor determines this direction on a given flight path?

• A. The actual flight path
• B. The wind at the destination
• C. The wind at the aircraft's current position
• D. The direction of the runway

Answer: (A)

Relative wind is the airflow over the aircraft produced by the aircraft’s motion through the surrounding air. The direction of that airflow is set by how the airplane actually moves through the air mass, i.e., its air-relative velocity or the path you trace through the air. Winds move the air itself, so they influence the air’s motion, but the direction relative to the airplane follows your motion through that air. If there’s a crosswind, your ground track might drift, but the relative wind still comes from the direction opposite your velocity through the air. Winds at the destination, at the current position, or the runway orientation don’t determine the relative wind direction on a given flight path; they affect speed and course, not the fundamental airflow direction over the wings.