Enter the total wind speed (knots) and the wind angle (deg) into the Crosswind Calculator. The calculator will evaluate the components of the crosswind and headwind.
Crosswind Formula
The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed to calculate the Crosswind.
CW = WS * Sin(a)
HW = WS * Cos(a)
- CW is the Crosswind (knots)
- HW is the Headwind (knots)
- WS is the total wind speed (knots)
- a is the wind angle (deg)
To calculate the crosswind component, multiply the true wind speed by the sine of the angle between the wind and the moving object. To calculate the headwind component, multiply the true wind speed by the cosine of the angle.
How to Calculate Crosswind?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Crosswind.
- First, determine the total wind speed (knots).
- Next, determine the wind angle (deg).
- Next, gather the formula from above = CW = WS * SIN (a).
- Finally, calculate the Crosswind.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
total wind speed (knots) = 34
wind angle (deg) = 32
CW = WS * SIN (a) = ?
