Wind Correction Calculator
Calculate wind correction with the standard wind-triangle / ISA formulas.
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What this tool does
Calculate wind correction with the standard wind-triangle / ISA formulas. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
How to use the Wind Correction Calculator
- Enter or select desired course / track (degrees).
- Enter or select true airspeed (knots).
- Enter or select wind from direction (degrees).
- Enter or select wind speed (knots).
- Read the calculated result; change any measurement to compare alternatives.
Formula
wind angle = wind FROM direction − course; crosswind = wind speed × sin(wind angle); headwind = wind speed × cos(wind angle); wind correction angle WCA = asin(crosswind ÷ TAS); heading = course + WCA; groundspeed = TAS × cos(WCA) − headwind
- course
- Desired course / track (degrees)
- tas
- True airspeed (knots)
- windDir
- Wind FROM direction (degrees)
- windSpeed
- Wind speed (knots)
E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
Worked example
For wind correction calculator, the following measurements illustrate the exact method: Desired course / track (degrees): 90; True airspeed (knots): 120; Wind FROM direction (degrees): 120; Wind speed (knots): 20.
Inputs
- Desired course / track (degrees)90
- True airspeed (knots)120
- Wind FROM direction (degrees)120
- Wind speed (knots)20
Result
- Groundspeed (knots)102.26
- Wind correction angle (degrees, + = correct right)4.78
- Heading to fly (degrees)94.78
- Headwind component (knots, negative = tailwind)17.32
- Crosswind component (knots, + = wind from the right)10
Results explained
- Groundspeed (knots)
- Groundspeed (knots) from the formula above. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
- Wind correction angle (degrees, + = correct right)
- Wind correction angle (degrees, + = correct right) from the formula above. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
- Heading to fly (degrees)
- Heading to fly (degrees) from the formula above. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
- Headwind component (knots, negative = tailwind)
- Headwind component (knots, negative = tailwind) from the formula above. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
- Crosswind component (knots, + = wind from the right)
- Crosswind component (knots, + = wind from the right) from the formula above. E6B wind-triangle trigonometry. Wind direction is the direction the wind blows FROM, in the same true/magnetic reference as the course. Gusts, TAS errors and compass deviation are not modelled.
Frequently asked questions
It is the angle you turn the nose into the wind so the aircraft's track over the ground stays on the desired course. This tool finds it with WCA = asin(crosswind ÷ TAS): a wind from the right gives a positive (rightward) correction, a wind from the left a negative one.
Groundspeed = TAS × cos(WCA) − headwind component, where the headwind component is wind speed × cos(wind direction − course). A pure headwind subtracts the full wind speed, a pure tailwind adds it, and a pure crosswind costs a little groundspeed through the cos(WCA) term.
FROM — the aviation and METAR convention. A wind reported as 120° at 20 kt blows from the south-east, so enter 120. Entering the TO direction (300°) would reverse the headwind and crosswind signs.
If the crosswind component is larger than your true airspeed, asin(crosswind ÷ TAS) has no solution: even pointing the nose fully into the crosswind cannot cancel the drift, so the desired course is physically impossible at that TAS.
No. It solves the same wind triangle an E6B solves, but it is a planning aid only. Verify headings, groundspeeds and fuel against the aircraft POH, a current chart and official weather before flight, and apply compass deviation separately.
Use one reference consistently for course and wind. Aviation winds aloft are usually given in degrees true and runway/METAR winds in degrees magnetic in many countries; mixing the two introduces an error equal to the local variation.