Wind Correction Angle Calculator
The same wind-triangle maths as a whizz-wheel/E6B - enter the track you want to fly, your true airspeed, and the forecast wind, and get the heading to fly and your groundspeed.
How to calculate wind correction angle by hand
The sine rule behind the calculator above - the same relationship an E6B/whizz-wheel solves mechanically.
sin(WCA) = (wind speed ÷ true airspeed) × sin(wind angle), where the wind angle is the difference between the wind direction and your track.
Worked example: track 090°, true airspeed 100kt, wind from 030° at 20kt. The wind angle is 30 − 90 = −60° (wind from the left). sin(WCA) = (20÷100) × sin(−60°) ≈ −0.173, so WCA = asin(−0.173) ≈ 10° left. True heading = 90° − 10° = 080°. Groundspeed works out to about 88kt - a little slower than TAS, since part of the wind is still a headwind component even though most of it is crosswind.
Frequently asked questions
What is wind correction angle?
Wind correction angle (WCA), also called drift, is the number of degrees you must point the aircraft's nose left or right of your intended track to counteract a crosswind - without it, the wind would blow the aircraft off the track you actually want to fly over the ground.
What's the difference between heading and track?
Track is the path you want to fly over the ground. Heading is the direction the aircraft's nose actually points. In any wind other than a direct headwind/tailwind, heading and track differ by the wind correction angle - that's the whole point of working it out.
What is groundspeed vs true airspeed?
True airspeed (TAS) is how fast the aircraft moves through the air mass. Groundspeed is how fast it actually moves over the ground, once the wind's headwind/tailwind component is added or subtracted - it's what you use to work out time enroute.
Do I need to apply magnetic variation separately?
Yes - the wind triangle itself is normally solved in true values (true track, true heading). You then apply magnetic variation to get a magnetic heading, and compass deviation on top of that to get the heading to actually fly, in that order (True -> Magnetic -> Compass).