QUESTION:
What is the highest speed the KAO can travel without damaging the
aircraft? 

ANSWER from Terry Rager, Project Pilot, KAO, on October 12, 1995:
There are 2 speeds of an airplane: 1. how fast the plane is going through
the air (airspeed) and 2. how fast the airplane is going over the ground
(groundspeed). 

Airspeed is created by the engines propelling the airplane. The more
thrust from the engines, the faster the airplane will go through the air. 
Because the density or thickness of the air becomes less the higher the
airplane goes, the plane must go faster through the air to stay up (to
create the same amount of lift). Close to the ground the KAO can go 405
mph but up at 41000 ft. where we normally fly we can go 550 mph. 

Ground speed is the combination of 1) airspeed and 2) the speed of the air
in which the airplane is flying. The airplane must go a certain speed
through the air (airspeed) just to keep flying. If the airplane is going
400 mph and the air (or wind) is moving in the same direction at 50 mph,
then the airplane is going across the ground at 450 mph or a groundspeed
of 450 mph. If the wind was going in the opposite direction the airplane
would have a groundspeed of 350 mph. The highest wind I have ever seen is
200 mph. 

I hope this answers your question and if you have further questions about
airspeed and groundspeed ask your teacher or visit your local airport and
talk to some of the pilots, they love to talk about how airplanes fly. 

Terry Rager, Project Pilot, KAO