Ground Speed With Wind Calculator

Work out ground speed with wind instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Ground Speed With Wind Calculator

The wind triangle resolves the wind into a crosswind component perpendicular to the course and a head/tail component along it. The crosswind sets the wind correction angle through arcsin(crosswind / TAS); ground speed is the along-course component of TAS minus the headwind.

Formula

Wind triangle

WCA = asin(crosswind / TAS); GS = TAS x cos(WCA) - headwind component

Worked example

With the default values below, Ground Speed With Wind Calculator returns Ground speed of 160.93. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

True airspeed: 150 kt
True course: 90 °
Wind direction (from): 210 °
Wind speed: 25 kt

Results

Ground speed: 160.93 kt
Wind correction angle: 8.30 °
True heading required: 98.3 °
Tailwind component (negative = headwind): 12.50 kt

Step by step

1Values used
2Wind triangle
3Ground speed= 160.93 kt
4Wind correction angle= 8.30 °
5True heading required= 98.3 °
6Tailwind component (negative = headwind)= 12.50 kt

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Aviation results are planning estimates only. Always verify take-off, landing, fuel, weight and balance figures against the certified Aircraft Flight Manual, current performance charts and applicable aviation regulations before flight.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Aviation results are planning estimates only. Always verify take-off, landing, fuel, weight and balance figures against the certified Aircraft Flight Manual, current performance charts and applicable aviation regulations before flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is heading not the same as course?

The aircraft must be crabbed into the wind so that the resulting track over the ground matches the desired course; that crab angle is the wind correction angle.

What if the wind is stronger than TAS?

Then no heading can hold the course. The calculator clamps the geometry, but in practice the leg is not flyable at that airspeed.