If the active runway wind speeds are reported at 15 knots gusting to 25, what is your rotate speed?

To determine the appropriate rotate speed in this scenario, it's important to understand how wind conditions, particularly gusty winds, influence aircraft performance. Rotate speed, or Vr, is the speed at which you should rotate the aircraft to achieve lift during takeoff.

In gusty conditions, the general rule of thumb is to add half of the gust factor to the normal rotate speed. Since the winds are 15 knots gusting to 25 knots, the gust factor is 10 knots (the difference between the gusting wind and the steady wind). Thus, half of this gust factor is 5 knots.

This additional 5 knots is added to your calculated rotate speed. If the normal rotation speed (Vr under normal conditions) is established at 90 KIAS (knots indicated airspeed), then you would adjust this value upwards to account for the gusts, reaching a final rotate speed of 95 KIAS.

Therefore, the rotate speed in these wind conditions would be set at 95 KIAS, allowing for safer performance during takeoff by ensuring the aircraft has adequate speed to become airborne despite wind variability.