Calculate headwind, tailwind, and crosswind components from wind speed, wind direction, and runway or travel heading. This calculator is useful for aviation, cycling, running, boating, and weather planning.
Wind speed:
Enter the reported wind speed.
Wind direction:
Enter the direction the wind is coming from, in degrees.
Runway or travel heading:
Enter the runway heading, aircraft heading, cycling direction, running direction, or travel direction.
Wind components:
The calculator uses the angle difference to estimate headwind, tailwind, and crosswind components.
A headwind tailwind calculator is useful for aviation planning, runway selection, cycling, running, boating, sailing, weather checks, performance estimates, and understanding how wind affects travel direction.
This tool gives an estimate only. For aviation and safety-critical use, always follow official weather, aircraft limits, operating procedures, and training guidance.
Your result shows whether the wind is helping or working against your heading. A headwind component blows against your direction of travel. A tailwind component blows from behind. A crosswind component blows from the side.
Headwind is calculated as wind speed multiplied by the cosine of the angle between wind direction and heading.
Tailwind is the negative headwind component. If the headwind result is negative, the absolute value is the tailwind component.
Crosswind is calculated as wind speed multiplied by the sine of the angle between wind direction and heading.
Wind direction is the direction the wind is coming from, not the direction it is going toward.