How does wind shear or wind gradient during takeoff and landing affect indicated airspeed and flight path?

• A. Wind shear can cause rapid changes in airspeed and deviations in flight path; corrective control inputs are required.
• B. Wind shear stabilizes airspeed.
• C. Wind gradient only affects engine power.
• D. There is no effect on flight path.

Answer: (A)

Wind shear and wind gradient produce sudden changes in the wind that the aircraft encounters, especially during takeoff and landing when you’re near the ground. These rapid changes affect indicated airspeed because IAS reflects the dynamic pressure of the air flowing over the aircraft; a sharp increase in headwind makes the IAS read higher, while a sharp tailwind gust makes it read lower. At the same time, lift and flight path respond to these quick changes in airspeed, so the airplane can deviate from the intended path—pitch, altitude, and track can all be affected. Because of this, corrective control inputs—adjusting pitch and power—to bring the airspeed back to the target value and restore the desired flight path are required. The other statements aren’t correct because wind shear does not stabilize airspeed, wind gradient affects more than engines, and there is indeed an impact on the flight path.