FAA Sport Pilot Airplane (SPA)WeatherHard
ATIS reports wind 240 at 15 knots. A pilot plans to land on runway 22 (magnetic heading 220°). What is the approximate crosswind component?
- A5 knots
- B3 knots
- C13 knots
- D8 knots
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. 5 knots
The angle between the wind (240°) and runway heading (220°) is 20°. Crosswind component = wind speed x sine of the angle = 15 x sin(20°) = 15 x 0.34 ≈ 5.1 knots, so the crosswind is approximately 5 knots.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Too low; underestimates the sine value for a 20° angle.
- C. This is close to the total wind speed, ignoring the angle almost entirely.
- D. This would correspond to a larger angle difference than 20°.
Crosswind Component
The portion of reported wind acting perpendicular to the runway, calculated as wind speed multiplied by the sine of the angle between wind direction and runway heading.
- Crosswind = wind speed x sin(angle difference)
- Headwind = wind speed x cos(angle difference)
- Larger angle differences produce greater crosswind components
Memory trick: 'Sine for crosswind, cosine for headwind'