Definition
The rate at which air is moving horizontally past a fixed point, expressed in knots in aviation weather reports and forecasts.
Plain English
How fast the wind is blowing, measured in knots.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight weather checks, airport reports, takeoff planning, landing planning, and go/no-go decisions.
Why Pilots Care
Affects takeoff and landing performance, crosswind limits, and the need for gust corrections.
Intuition Check
Do not treat wind speed as the airplane’s speed. Wind speed is how fast the air itself is moving, and gusts can make the actual wind briefly stronger than the steady reported speed.
Example Sentence 1
The ATIS reported wind speed at 12 knots from 240 degrees, well within the airplane's crosswind limit for runway 27.
Example Sentence 2
During preflight, the pilot checked the current wind speed to decide whether to add extra fuel for a possible headwind on departure.