FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Performance, Weight and BalanceEasy
A pilot is planning a landing on Runway 27. The current wind is reported as 300° at 20 knots. Using a wind component chart with a 30° angular difference between wind direction and runway heading, what are the approximate headwind and crosswind components?
- A10 knots headwind, 17 knots crosswind
- B14 knots headwind, 14 knots crosswind
- C20 knots headwind, 0 knots crosswind
- D17 knots headwind, 10 knots crosswind
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. 17 knots headwind, 10 knots crosswind
With a 30° angle between wind and runway, headwind = 20 × cos(30°) ≈ 17.3 kt and crosswind = 20 × sin(30°) = 10 kt, matching a standard wind component chart reading.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This reverses the headwind and crosswind values.
- B. This corresponds to a 45° angular difference, not 30°.
- C. This would apply only if the wind were directly aligned with the runway (0° difference).
Wind Component Chart
A chart used to determine headwind and crosswind components based on wind speed and the angular difference between wind direction and runway heading.
- Headwind = wind speed × cos(angle)
- Crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle)
- At 90° difference, wind is pure crosswind
Memory trick: Cosine Close to runway, Sine Sideways across it