Mach number and flight planning question
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Hi,
Interestingly, the Starship airspeed indicator doesn't have any kind of Mach number reference. If this is true to the real aircraft, how do real Starship pilots file for IFR flight plans at higher flight levels? Indicated airspeed? True airspeed estimation?
Thanks!
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This is accurate, because Starship cruises around Mach 0.55. The Mach number has little utility to turboprop pilots, for which all performance numbers are based on true airspeed. I will let someone else chime in with any specific advice for filing with online ATC platforms, but in the real world, true airspeed is always expected on flight plans, with Mach as an option for jets aircraft.
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Aha, makes sense. I need to build up more turboprop hours and stay ahead of the game here.
Thank you.
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Nick is quite informed on all things Starship (go figure), so I will always regard him as a trusted source.
The airspeed indicator on the Starship has a TAS digital readout at all times for the reasons above no doubt, which I probably should've remembered here. Great fun learning about this stuff though!
