Ever wonder what a knot is, and why we use them in aviation? I did.
The term actually began with real knots tied into a rope, and like much of our aviation lingo, comes from the maritime world. While the exact beginning is difficult to determine, it is believed that the knot methodology began in the late 1500’s, and that it was in widespread use by the 1600’s. In order to measure speed, sailors would tie knots in a rope every42 feet (six feet per fathom, so there were seven fathoms between each knot). The rope was attached to a piece of wood called a “chip log,” which would be cast in the water to the rear of the ship, where it would essentially remain stationary as the rope paid out.
Using a small hour-glass, the sailors would time for approximately 30 seconds and count the number of knots that would pass through their hands and into the water. Over time, the standards were revised, and if you were try this at home your chip log would need knots every 47.3 feet, and you need an hourglass that can time for 28 seconds instead of 30.
At first the United States stuck with the statue measurement of miles per hour in aviation, but in 1969 the FAA began transitioning the industry to the nautical standards. The logic for this is that aeronautical charts, like marine charts, are printed in the nautical scale. By converting our references from miles per hour to knots, we can be sure that we are all speaking the same language.
In case you did not know, the nautical mile is equal to 1.15 statute miles; one statue mile is equal to 0.868 nautical miles. It also brought the American aviation industry into ICAO standards.
I don’t suggest that you start extending rope behind your airplane to measure speed, but if you do at least some of us will understand why.