Crosswind Component Calculator
Enter the wind speed, the direction it is coming from and the runway heading to break the wind into its crosswind and head or tailwind components. The crosswind is the part that pushes you sideways during takeoff and landing; the headwind or tailwind is the part along the runway.
How to calculate a crosswind component
- Enter the reported wind speed in knots.
- Enter the direction the wind is coming from in degrees.
- Enter the runway heading in degrees, then read the crosswind and head or tailwind components.
Examples
Wind off the nose-left
20 kt from 030, runway heading 360
Angle 30, crosswind 10 kt, headwind 17.3 kt
Wind straight down the back
20 kt from 180, runway heading 360
Angle 180, tailwind 20 kt, crosswind 0 kt
Frequently asked questions
How is the crosswind component calculated?
Find the angle between the wind and the runway, then crosswind = wind speed times the sine of that angle and headwind = wind speed times the cosine of that angle.
What does a negative along-runway value mean?
A positive along-runway component is a headwind that slows your groundspeed; a negative value is a tailwind. This tool labels each result as headwind or tailwind for you.
Do I use magnetic or true wind direction?
Use whichever matches your runway heading. Tower and ATIS winds are magnetic and match the runway number, while forecast winds aloft are true and need correcting first.
What angle gives the strongest crosswind?
A wind exactly 90 degrees to the runway is all crosswind and no headwind. At 0 degrees it is all headwind, and at 180 degrees it is all tailwind.
Does this account for gusts?
No, it uses the steady wind you enter. A common practice is to run the calculation again with the gust value to see the worst-case crosswind for that landing.
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