Aviation & Aeronautics
Basic

Wind Components

Resolve wind into headwind and crosswind components relative to runway/track.

Formula

HW=Wcos⁡θ,  XW=Wsin⁡θHW = W\cos\theta,\; XW = W\sin\theta

Variables

HWHeadwind
XWCrosswind
WWind speed
\thetaAngle to track

Example

20 kt at 30°: HW=17.3, XW=10 kt

Did You Know?

Pilots resolve wind into headwind and crosswind parts — the same vector math sailors have used for centuries.

windcrosswindrunway