Correcting right
Course 000°, TAS 100 kt and wind 090° at 20 kt: correct 11.5° right to heading 011.5°.
FLIGHT PLANNING
Wind correction angle calculator
Find the heading that keeps you on course.
Wind correction angle7.2 °Heading 277.2° magnetic
Course & wind
Live calculationSpeed units
Heading references: magnetic
Written METAR wind uses true north. Select the reference stated by your source; do not infer it from a runway number.
°
Your intended ground track°
Direction the wind is coming fromkt
Steady reported windkt
Your flight path, resolved.
LIVE RESULTSWind correction angle
7.2°
Heading 277.2° magnetic
Ground speed97.6 kt
Wind angle50.0 °
Maintain a heading of 277.2° to track 270.0° in this steady wind.
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Describe what you expected. This creates a report you can send to the site maintainer; it does not submit anything automatically.
A LITTLE THEORY
Make sense of your result.
Calculate how far to turn into wind to maintain your planned ground track.
How to use this calculator
Enter desired course and true airspeed, then wind direction and speed. A positive correction is a turn right into the wind.
The formula
WCA = asin(V × sin(θ) / TAS) · Heading = course + WCAθ 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 PRACTICE01 02
Worked examples
Correcting left
Course 090°, TAS 120 kt and wind 000° at 15 kt: correct 7.2° left to heading 082.8°.
A few common questions
Is the correction the same as drift?+
Correction is the heading offset used to cancel wind drift and maintain your chosen track.
Does heading wrap through north?+
Yes. Result headings are normalized between 0° and less than 360°.
A planning aid. Always use your judgement.
This solution assumes steady wind and sufficient airspeed to maintain the desired course. Mixed true and magnetic references use your entered variation. Compass deviation is not included. 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 · Models and limitations