Aircraft measure speed from air pressure, not a speedometer. See how dynamic pressure becomes airspeed — and why true airspeed climbs with altitude.
Pitot-Tube AirspeedLive
how planes measure speed
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Presets
A pitot tube measures the pressure difference between still and moving air, then airspeed follows from v = √(2Δp/ρ). Because air thins with altitude, true airspeed exceeds the indicated value up high — a key gotcha in aviation. Educational tool.
Reading this result: Near sea level the air is close to standard density, so true airspeed and indicated airspeed nearly coincide — the gauge reads reality directly.
Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.
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How it works
A pitot-static system measures dynamic pressure Δp, and airspeed follows from v = √(2Δp/ρ). Because air density falls with altitude, the same Δp corresponds to a higher true airspeed up high than the indicated value — a crucial distinction in aviation. Educational tool.
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Is this pitot tube airspeed calculator tool really free?▾
Yes. Pitot-Tube Airspeed runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.
Do I need to install anything?▾
No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.
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How accurate are the results?▾
The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.