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Runway Wind Component Geometry

Resolve a steady wind into unsigned crosswind and signed along-runway components.

  • Formula & worked example
  • Private in your browser
  • No signup
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Calculator inputs

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How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
  2. Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
  3. Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

Private by default

Inputs and results stay in this browser tab. Bookify does not upload or store the values you enter.

Formula and method

On runway 09, a 20-knot wind from 180 degrees gives 20 knots of crosswind and zero headwind.

Crosswind = speed × sin(angle); headwind = speed × cos(angle)

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Runway number
9
Wind direction
180 deg
Wind speed
20 kn
Crosswind component
20 kn
Headwind component
3.08e-63 kn

Assumptions and limitations

  • Runway numbers represent heading times ten degrees. Use a consistent magnetic or true reference for both headings. The folded angle is between zero and 180 degrees, so crosswind magnitude does not identify left versus right.
  • Headwind is signed; negative headwind means tailwind. The separately labeled tailwind is the negative of headwind. This vector calculation is not an aircraft operating limit or a landing decision.

Common questions

How should I interpret this result?

Runway numbers represent heading times ten degrees. Use a consistent magnetic or true reference for both headings. The folded angle is between zero and 180 degrees, so crosswind magnitude does not identify left versus right.

Can I solve a missing input?

Clear the value you want to find, enter compatible known values, and check the displayed units. Some choices and one-way outputs cannot be solved backward.

References

The calculation equations, inverse formulas, units, and input rules were imported from this source. Bookify provides the interface and equation solver.

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