Crosswind Component Calculator
Enter the runway heading, the wind direction, and the wind speed to break the wind into its headwind and crosswind components — then compare the crosswind to your aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind.
Headwind component
11 kt
Crosswind component
10 kt
from the right
Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle); headwind = wind speed × cos(angle). Compare the crosswind component to your aircraft's maximum demonstrated crosswind in the POH.
How the crosswind component works
Wind rarely blows straight down the runway, so you split it into two parts: the headwind component (helps slow you on landing and shortens your takeoff roll) and the crosswind component (which you must correct for with aileron and rudder). Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle); headwind = wind speed × cos(angle), where the angle is the difference between the runway heading and the wind direction.
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