WIND & RUNWAY

Headwind component calculator

Find the wind working with—or against—your runway.

Instant resultsNo account neededBuilt for pilots & student pilots

Headwind component11.6 ktWind from ahead

Runway & wind

Live calculation

Speed units

Heading references: magnetic

Runway referenceWind reference

Written METAR wind uses true north. Select the reference stated by your source; do not infer it from a runway number.

Runway heading

Use the published runway heading

Wind direction

Direction the wind is coming from

Wind speed

Steady reported wind

Gust speedoptional

Leave blank if no gusts reported

Runway shortcut & reciprocal

Have a runway number?

Runway numbers approximate magnetic headings. The shortcut sets the runway reference to magnetic.

Your wind, resolved.

LIVE RESULTS

Headwind component

11.6kt

Wind from ahead

Runway-relative view. Blue: wind · White: crosswind · Light blue: headwind/tailwind.

Crosswind component13.8 kt

Gust crosswind19.9 kt

Wind angle50.0 °

Wind is 50.0° off the runway. Expect a crosswind from the right.

THE MATH18.0 × cos(50.0°) ≈ 11.6 kt (headwind)Explore the formula ↗

Compare runway headings

Current heading and reciprocal, using the same wind. Additional headings use magnetic north. This compares wind components only—not runway suitability.

Additional headings (comma-separated)

Components in kt; gust direction is assumed unchanged.
Heading	Crosswind	Gust crosswind	Along runway
270.0°	13.8 from right	19.9	11.6 headwind
90.0°	13.8 from left	19.9	11.6 tailwind

Report a calculation issue

Describe what you expected. This creates a report you can send to the site maintainer; it does not submit anything automatically.

What seems incorrect?

A LITTLE THEORY

Make sense of your result.

Separate the along-runway headwind or tailwind from the total reported wind.

How to use this calculator

Enter matching-reference runway and wind headings. The output labels negative headwind as tailwind.

The formulaHeadwind = V × cos(θ); negative values indicate tailwind

θ is wind direction minus runway heading or course, normalized to −180° to 180°. V is wind speed. Results round to one decimal; calculations use full precision. Speed units are converted through knots.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Worked examples

Straight down the runway

Runway 270°, wind 270° at 15 kt: 15.0 kt headwind with no crosswind.

Wind from behind

Runway 270°, wind 090° at 10 kt: 10.0 kt tailwind.

A few common questions

Does a 90° wind give any headwind?+

No. A perfectly perpendicular wind has zero along-runway component.

Can I derive a takeoff distance from this?+

No. Use the approved aircraft performance charts and their wind correction rules.

A planning aid. Always use your judgement.

Do not apply headwind benefits or tailwind penalties to performance without the aircraft-specific approved procedure. This tool does not replace your aircraft operating handbook, official weather, regulations or pilot judgement.

Calculation transparency

Updated 11 September 2026. Automated checks cover the mathematical model; an independent aviation review is pending.

Reference: FAA aviation handbooks · FAA weather reporting and heading references · Models and limitations