True Airspeed is calibrated airspeed corrected for which factors?

• A. Pressure loss and wind speed
• B. Altitude only
• C. Altitude and nonstandard temperature
• D. Temperature only

Answer: (C)

True Airspeed is the speed of the aircraft through the air mass, so converting calibrated airspeed to TAS requires accounting for how dense the air is. Air density changes with altitude and with temperature. At higher altitudes the air is less dense, and when the air is hotter than standard it becomes less dense as well; cooler air is denser. Since TAS depends on actual air density, you correct calibrated airspeed for both altitude and nonstandard temperature. The other factors listed don’t shape TAS: wind affects ground speed, not TAS, and pressure loss or temperature alone don’t capture how density varies with both altitude and temperature.