Enter your runway, wind direction, speed, and gusts. Get the headwind and crosswind components instantly — including the gust component that actually matters in the flare.
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Crosswind component = wind speed × sin(angle between wind and runway); headwind component = wind speed × cos(angle). A 20-knot wind 40° off the runway is a 13-knot crosswind and a 15-knot headwind. Use the calculator below with the gust value to see the worst case, then compare it against your personal maximum — not the POH's demonstrated number.
Runway number × 10 (Runway 27 → 270)
Direction the wind is from
The wind is split into two right-angle pieces relative to the runway centerline:
where θ is the angle between the wind direction and the runway heading. At 90° off the runway the whole wind is crosswind; directly down the runway it is all headwind. A negative headwind is a tailwind — which affects landing distance far more than most pilots expect.
Picture the angle off the runway as minutes on a clock face:
| Wind angle off runway | Crosswind ≈ |
|---|---|
| 15° ("15 minutes = quarter") | ¼ of wind speed |
| 30° ("half past") | ½ of wind speed |
| 45° ("three quarters") | ¾ of wind speed |
| 60° or more ("top of the hour") | all of it |
It slightly overestimates — which is the right direction to err for a go/no-go call on the runway.
The "maximum demonstrated crosswind component" in your POH is what a certification test pilot actually flew, typically about 0.2 × VS0. Unless your POH lists it as a limitation, exceeding it is legal — but the airplane has not been shown to be controllable there, and you are the test pilot. Typical published values (always verify in your POH, they vary by model year):
| Aircraft | Typical demonstrated crosswind |
|---|---|
| Cessna 152 | 12 kt |
| Cessna 172S Skyhawk | 15 kt |
| Piper PA-28-181 Archer | 17 kt |
| Cessna 182 Skylane | 15 kt |
| Cirrus SR22 | 20–21 kt |
What matters day to day is your personal crosswind maximum — a number you set below the demonstrated value based on how recently you have practiced. Our personal minimums worksheet walks you through setting one, and this guide explains how to keep it honest.
A "15 gusting 25" report is not a 15-knot problem. Run the calculation at 25 knots: that is the crosswind that will arrive, without notice, at 20 feet. Two working habits:
Runway numbers are magnetic headings. Winds from ATIS, AWOS/ASOS, and the tower are magnetic too — compare those directly. Winds printed in a METAR or TAF are in degrees true; where magnetic variation is large (the U.S. Pacific Northwest, much of Canada), correct them before computing a component that matters. "Written true, spoken magnetic" is the memory aid.
Common QuestionsNo — it is the highest crosswind demonstrated during certification, not a limit, unless your POH explicitly lists it as one. Your operative limit should be a personal maximum you set below it and raise only with recent practice.
Most instructors start students around 5–8 knots and raise the number as wind landings become consistent. A new private pilot commonly flies with a personal max near half to two-thirds of the demonstrated component.
Yes. If the wind is behind the runway heading, the headwind tile flips to a tailwind and turns red. Even a few knots of tailwind meaningfully increases landing distance — check your POH's tailwind performance limits (many are certified only to 10 knots).
How hot-and-high conditions change the runway your airplane thinks it's on.
Set your own ceiling, visibility, and wind numbers — before the pressure to fly shows up.
A repeatable structure for the decision this calculator feeds into.
FlightDecide scores winds alongside ceilings, visibility, NOTAMs, fuel, performance, and W&B for your specific flight window and aircraft — then gives you a GO / CAUTION / NO GO advisory you can verify against the raw data.
Get FlightDecide on the App StoreEducational tool for flight-planning practice. It is advisory only and not a substitute for your POH, an official weather briefing, or your own judgment as pilot in command (14 CFR 91.3). Sources: FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C), Ch. 9; 14 CFR §23.2165. Last reviewed: July 17, 2026.