E6BPilot Computer
Free calculator

Crosswind calculator

Headwind, tailwind and crosswind components for any runway and wind. Results update as you type.

Example values — change any of them
Wind Reference

Magnetic: tower/ATIS. True: METAR/TAF.

°

Magnetic heading in degrees — 240 for runway 24.

°

The direction the wind blows from, in degrees.

kt

Steady wind speed. Enter the gust to see the gust components.

Units
Headwind
19 kt
Crosswind · from the right
7 kt R
Headwind share
Crosswind share

Bars show each component as a share of the 20 kt wind.

19 kt headwind and 7 kt crosswind from the right.

Opposite direction, 060°: tailwind 19 kt, crosswind 7 kt from the left.

HW = wind × cos(WDir − RWY)XW = wind × sin(WDir − RWY)Angles in degrees. Positive HW is headwind, negative is tailwind; XW is shown as a magnitude with its side.

Worked example — with your numbers

  1. WDir − RWY = 260° − 240° = 20°
  2. HW = 20 × cos(20°) = 18.79 kt → 19 kt headwind
  3. XW = 20 × sin(20°) = 6.84 kt → 7 kt from the right

Runway numbers and wind direction

A runway number is its magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10°, so runway 24 is roughly 240° magnetic. Tower and ATIS winds are also given in degrees magnetic, so you can use them as they are.

METAR and TAF winds are reported in degrees true. Apply the local magnetic variation before comparing them with a runway, or the components will be off by the variation angle. Choose True and enter the variation, and the calculator converts the runway heading to true before comparing.

Reading the result

Headwind or tailwind comes from the cosine of the angle between the wind and the runway, crosswind from its sine. The crosswind is shown as a speed with the side it comes from; when it rounds to zero, no side is shown. Compare it with the maximum demonstrated crosswind in your aircraft’s documents.

Density altitudePressure altitudeCloud baseUnit converterWeight and balance

Solve it on your iPhone. The same crosswind math, a keypad built for the cockpit, and METAR paste that fills in the wind for you. The free calculators stay free.

App Store · coming soon
Safety

For training and supplemental situational awareness only. Not for use as the sole basis for flight planning, performance, or operational decisions. It is not an approved flight planning tool, electronic flight bag (EFB), or primary source of aeronautical information. Always use current aircraft documents, an official briefing, and pilot judgment.