Definition
The additional airspeed margin a pilot adds to the normal approach speed to compensate for gusty wind conditions during landing. A common technique is to add half the gust value (the difference between the steady wind speed and the peak gust) to the approach speed, so the airplane retains adequate control authority and stall margin if the wind suddenly drops.
Plain English
When the wind is gusty, you fly the approach a little faster than normal so a sudden drop in wind speed doesn't leave the airplane too slow to fly safely.
Context Anchor
Used during approach and landing planning, especially when the wind report includes both a steady wind and a higher gust value.
Derivation
Gust means a sudden, brief increase in wind. Factor comes from a Latin root meaning something that helps produce a result. Together, the phrase points to the gust amount that must be considered in the pilot’s speed decision.
Why Pilots Care
Using the correct wind gust factor prevents airspeed decay in gusts that could lead to a stall or hard landing, while avoiding excessive speed that causes floating or runway overrun.
Grounding Statement
If the wind is reported as 12 knots gusting to 20 knots, the gust factor is 8 knots.
Intuition Check
Do not read “factor” here as just a general concern or condition. In this context, the gust factor is a specific speed difference: peak gust speed minus steady wind speed.
Example Sentence 1
With the wind reported at 15 gusting 25, the pilot added a 5-knot gust factor to the normal approach speed.
Example Sentence 2
The instructor reminded the student to recalculate wind gust factors after the ATIS updated the gust speed before final approach.