Crosswind, headwind and tailwind components
The Pyxis Crosswind Calculator breaks a reported wind into the two parts that matter on the runway: the crosswind component (across the runway) and the headwind or tailwind component (along it). Enter the runway and the wind, and the numbers — and the compass diagram — update as you type. It's free, mobile-first, and quick enough to use while you're listening to the ATIS.
Knowing the crosswind component lets you compare the conditions against your aircraft's demonstrated crosswind value and your own personal or company limits. A tailwind component warns of a longer landing or takeoff roll, and entering a gust shows how much the crosswind can spike between the steady-state readings.
How to use it
- Enter the runway designator from 01 to 36 — it's the magnetic heading in tens of degrees, so runway 27 is a heading of 270°.
- Enter the wind direction (the direction it's blowing from) and the wind speed.
- Optionally add a gust value to see the crosswind and head/tail components at the gust speed.
- Set a crosswind limit to get an at-a-glance within-limit, caution, or exceeds indicator.
- The compass turns to your runway heading and draws the wind and its components so the geometry is obvious.
Worked example: runway 27, wind 160° at 25 kt
The wind is 110° off the runway heading. Splitting the 25-knot wind:
The math is straightforward trigonometry: Crosswind = wind × sin(θ) and Head/Tail = wind × cos(θ), where θ is the angle between the wind direction and the runway heading. Here θ is 110°, so most of the wind is across the runway and a small part is behind you — a left crosswind with a slight tailwind.