"Scott Lowrey" wrote in message
news:35Cmc.33788$TD4.5609844@attbi_s01...
If I'm descending slowly with a relatively nose-high attitude - say, in
preparation for a short field landing - does the high angle of the pitot
tube have any effect on indicated airspeed? (I suppose all designs are
different - say this is a 172.)

How slow will you be going? If I want to do a short field landing I fly at
the bottom of the white arc, 60 mph IAS for my 182. If I want to get in
really short I will fly at 50 mph. There is error at all but a small range
of speeds so who cares? Are you worried about suddenly falling out of the
sky? If so then don't worry about it, won't happen in a 172. When you
really get comfortable with the plane you can fly between the stall speed
and the stall warning speed in no turbulence conditions.



If the descent was steep, the relative wind would be coming from below
and forward with respect to the wing, right?


For a given airspeed the angle of attack will always be the same. It does
not matter what that angle may look like in reference to the ground.