Effects. Tailwind Operations have a detrimental effect on aircraft performance. Take Off - The take off run will be longer and the maximum allowable take off weight for a specific runway and temperature may have to be reduced.
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Other special cases include a tailwind, where the plane and wind are acting in the same direction. As you may suspect, the speed of the aircraft increases when there is a tailwind and decreases when there is a headwind.
Many airplanes have limitations on the amount of crosswind that is allowed for takeoff and landing. In the case of some airliners, it's around 40kts or about 45mph or 21 Mps. A 15 mph tailwind is good. A 15 mph headwind is not so good, but is usually no big deal.
Why Are Headwinds Good For Takeoff And Landing? During takeoff headwinds help to increase lift, meaning a lower ground speed and a shorter runway distance is needed for the plane to get airborne. Landing into the wind has similar advantages; less runway is needed and ground speed is lower at touchdown.
So which way do planes fly the fastest? In general, but not always, aircraft travel faster travelling from west to east. Indeed, on a scheduled flight from New York to Malaga, for example, flight time can be reduced by almost 20% compared to the opposite route, from 8.5 hours to 7 hours.
That flight set a record for the fastest subsonic transatlantic commercial airline flight — 5 hours and 13 minutes, thanks to a 202 mph tailwind. For reference, the speed of sound is 760 mph; but the plane did not break the sound barrier.
There are many reasons to avoid a takeoff or landing with a tailwind. These range from the fact that takeoff and landing distance requirements will be longer to reduced climb gradient due to higher ground speed over distance.
Autopilot / Flight Director System# Maximum allowable wind speeds, when conducting a dual channel Cat II or CAT III landing predicating on autoland operations, are: Headwind 25 knots. Crosswind 20 knots. Tailwind 10 knots.
The takeoff distance and speed at which the aircraft can safely fly can be significantly reduced by using flaps and other high lift devices such as slats, an optimum flap/slat setting being configured to minimize the takeoff distance and maximize the initial rate of climb.
A takeoff may be rejected for a variety of reasons, including engine failure, activation of the takeoff warning horn, direction from air traffic control (ATC), blown tires, or system warnings.
In this case of takeoff, the fast air bearing down on the plane generates an upward force on the wings (analogous to a gun's recoil), which helps lift the aircraft. In short, pilots like to take off into a headwind because it helps them achieve wheels up faster.