Aviation Calculators
Crosswind component.
The crosswind component is the part of the wind that blows across the runway: wind speed times the sine of the angle between the wind and the runway heading. Enter the wind and the runway number to get the crosswind and the headwind or tailwind. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
Planning aid, not for flight operations
This tool is for study, trip planning and curiosity. It is not approved flight-planning or performance data. For an actual flight, use the aircraft's approved Pilot's Operating Handbook or Aircraft Flight Manual, current weather and charts, and your own judgement as pilot in command. Results can differ from your aircraft's real figures.
Inputs
Result
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
This is the FAA handbook's sample problem: runway 17 (heading 170 degrees) with the wind from 140 degrees at 25 knots. The wind is 30 degrees off the runway heading, so the crosswind is 25 × sin 30° = 12.5 knots from the left and the headwind is 25 × cos 30° = 21.7 knots. The handbook's chart reads 13 and 22 knots (rounded). With gusts, a 15 knot wind gusting 25 from 250 degrees on runway 27 gives a 5.1 knot steady crosswind and 8.6 knots in the gusts.
How it works
The angle is the difference between the wind direction and the runway heading (runway number × 10). Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle) and headwind = wind speed × cos(angle). A negative headwind is a tailwind. The side is where the wind comes from relative to the nose: a wind from a direction clockwise of the heading comes from the right.
With a gust speed entered, the same calculation is repeated for the gust, and the larger crosswind is the one compared with your maximum. The FAA handbook explains that an aircraft is tested in 90 degree crosswinds up to 0.2 times its power-off, gear-down, flaps-down stall speed (a 45 knot stall speed means 9 knots), that the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is published in the flight manual, and that a crosswind chart exists so the aircraft is not pushed beyond its tested limits.
Sources (each opened 2026-10-08): FAA, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 11: Aircraft Performance.
FAQ
How do I calculate the crosswind component?
Find the angle between the wind direction and the runway heading, then multiply the wind speed by the sine of that angle. The headwind is the wind speed times the cosine of the angle.
What is a tailwind component?
When the wind comes from behind the runway heading the headwind value is negative. The tool shows it as a tailwind.
What is the maximum crosswind I can land in?
There is no single number. The FAA handbook says the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is published in the aircraft flight manual, and the aim of the chart is that the aircraft is not pushed beyond its tested limits. Enter your own limit above to compare.
Which wind should I use in gusty conditions?
Enter the gust speed as well. The tool shows the crosswind for both the steady wind and the gust and compares the gust value with your limit.
Should wind direction be magnetic or true?
Use the same reference for the wind and the runway heading. This tool does arithmetic on the numbers you give it and takes the runway number times 10 as the heading.
Is this a substitute for the flight manual chart?
No. It is a learning and planning aid. Use your aircraft's approved information and current conditions for real decisions.