Definition
The maximum and minimum airspeeds at which an airplane is approved to be operated, including specific limits for various configurations and flight conditions, as published in the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) or Airplane Flight Manual (AFM). Common airspeed limitations include never-exceed speed (VNE), maximum structural cruising speed (VNO), maneuvering speed (VA), maximum flap-extended speed (VFE), and maximum landing gear-extended speed (VLE).
Plain English
The speed boundaries the manufacturer says you must stay within when flying the airplane. Go too fast and you risk damaging the airframe; go too slow and the airplane stalls. Different limits apply depending on what the airplane is doing -- flaps down, gear down, in turbulence, or in a steep maneuver.
Context Anchor
Pilots see airspeed limitations in the airplane flight manual, pilot's operating handbook, cockpit placards, and markings on the airspeed indicator. In an emergency descent, they matter because the airplane may gain speed very quickly.
Derivation
Airspeed combines air and speed: the airplane's speed through the surrounding air. Limitation comes from limit, meaning a boundary. Together, the phrase means the speed boundaries that apply to the airplane in flight.
Why Pilots Care
Exceeding these limits can cause structural damage, flutter, or loss of control, especially during high-speed emergency descents.
Intuition Check
Do not read airspeed limitations as recommended speeds or normal targets. They are operating boundaries, and some of them change depending on the airplane's setup or the flying conditions.
Example Sentence 1
Before initiating the emergency descent, the pilot reviewed the airspeed limitations to confirm the maximum speed allowed with the landing gear extended.
Example Sentence 2
Before lowering the nose further, the pilot verified the current speed against airspeed limitations to avoid overstress.