> COACHING CORNER

CROSSWIND
CALCULATIONS OK, you’re on a very bumpy
approach to R27 and the

MADE EASY
controller tells you the wind
is 310/25... what is the
crosswind? Sorry mate, got
my hands full here!

Mental arithmetic goes out of the window for most

pilots when flying. Here’s a really simple way
WORDS Dave Sawdon PHOTOS www.airteamimages.com

I PRESUME you are reading this

in a comfortable armchair, or on ABOUT THE AUTHOR
a train, or maybe even in a flying
school with the rain pounding on Dave Sawdon has Sarum but he travels 1971, an SEPL in 1984,
the windows. Possibly there’s a favourite recently joined the around and can be an MEPL in 1996 and
tipple in one hand and some gentle music Pilot Coaching Scheme found examining a helicopter in 2001.
in the air. Under these conditions, if I asked as a Full Coach. He is or instructing at He has held a CAA CPL
you to do some mental arithmetic (and you a freelance Instructor Bournemouth, and an Instrument
were aged over 25), it would probably take and Examiner for all Popham, or Rating since 1997 and
you less than five seconds to work out “two- aspects, including: other strips and has flown about 70
thirds of 25”. aerobatics, IMC, multi- airfields within different types.
Now imagine the situation when you are engine, tailwheel and striking distance of As his “day job”
at the holding point for runway 24. You call night training. Most Winchester. Dave works for a
“ready for departure” and the tower replies weekends he can be His first solos “very large blue IT
with “cleared take-off; wind 280, 25 knots”. found working at Old include a glider in company”.
What’s the crosswind component? What’s the
headwind component if the performance is
a bit tight? Is it the same as you used in your
performance calculations? Not as easy as when
to present a simple method which will allow
you to assess the crosswind and headwind
drawing that the crosswind component is the
wind speed multiplied by the sine of the angle
whizzwheel) for the head or tail wind.
The “rule of sixths” makes use of the happy
‘We lose a significant What we need is a simple technique
for accurately estimating the crosswind
you were on the train, is it?
Maybe you are at the end of a long flight,
components with as much accuracy as you
like, without any sums, without any gadgets,
between the nose of the aircraft and the wind
direction (called the relative wind angle). We
coincidence that the sine of 10 degrees is very
close to 1/6th, sine 20 degrees is very close to
proportion of our component; a technique which requires
virtually NO brain power for those days when
typically slightly longer than the comfortable
endurance of your bladder. You are flying an
in less than five seconds, and whilst flying an
aeroplane.
can also see how the headwind component
could be calculated, either as the wind speed
2/6ths and so on. Table 1 shows the full story.
This method is a fairly accurate approximation
intellectual capacity the remaining brain cell has had enough.
Something visual and easy that doesn’t require
approach which is a bit more turbulent than multiplied by the cosine of the relative wind for most relative wind angles but we can see when we have an sums or a gadget. And here it is.
part of your anatomy would prefer when, at 500 BASIC GEOMETRY angle, or as the wind speed multiplied by the that there is a significant error at 60 degrees.
feet, you call “final” for runway 35 and the tower We will start by going back to basic geometry – sine of the angle between the beam of the Because of this some pilots modify the rule for aeroplane strapped to DIRECTION INDICATOR
replies “cleared to land; wind 030, 25 knots”. but even sitting in your armchair, I doubt most aircraft and the wind direction. 60 degrees and use 0.9 rather than 6/6ths, in In virtually every aircraft there is a Direction
What is the crosswind component? Would you of us remember about sines and cosines from Obviously too complex for our requirements, order to get the error down from 13% to 3%. our back’ Indicator (DI) that looks vaguely like the one
agree that it would not be as easy now as in our schooldays. Figure 1 shows an aircraft so students are traditionally taught the “rule of To use this “rule” you first determine the shown in Figure 2 and we can use this as
your armchair? lined-up on runway 36 and a wind arrow sixths”, or the “clock face” rule, for crosswind relative wind angle, and then multiply the a form of analogue computer (those of you
Let’s be honest with each other. Do you from approximately 310°. We can see from the assessment and nothing at all (except the reported wind strength by the appropriate who have an older style ribbon DI need not
actually calculate the crosswind component fraction. So, if the reported wind is 350/25 and despair, I’ll discuss how you can use the same
every time you are told the wind strength and you are using runway 03:
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 1 TABLE 1: RULE OF SIXTHS techniques a little later).
direction after a call of “ready for departure” * the wind angle is 40 degrees At first, reading this may sound complicated
or “final”? Do you always think about the wind Relative RULE SINE OF ERROR * 40 degrees gives 4/6ths but believe me, with practice it is very easy.
direction and make an appropriate aileron wind OF WIND * the crosswind component is therefore 4/6ths You are going to mentally draw the vector
wind x Sine (Angle B)

input? Honestly? angle SIXTHS ANGLE of 25kt, say 17kt-ish. triangle on the face of the DI. The distance from
During my time as an instructor and If a second table were produced, with the the centre of the DI to the edge represents the
HEADWIND

A 10° 1/6 0.17 1%

examiner it has been very rare that a pilot gle wind angle column turned upside down, reported wind speed. Once you are lined up on
An
W
IN

has volunteered the crosswind or headwind A this same method could be used to calculate final approach, simply find the reported wind
gle 20° 2/6 0.34 1%
D

components on an approach or before take-off. An the head/tail wind component. So why don’t direction on the outside of the DI scale and
If I ask them, the answer is usually (with some 30° 3/6 0.50 0% people use it in practice? mentally drop a vertical line down on to the
B
e

honourable exceptions) “errr” followed by a

gl

All we have to do, at 500 feet on a bumpy horizontal centre line. The proportion of the
An

40° 4/6 0.64 -2%

semi-random number. Frequently they don’t day, having drunk too much coffee three hours centre line that lies between the vertical line
even know whether the wind will be from 50° 5/6 0.77 -7% ago, with someone in the back asking why and the centre line is the proportion of the wind
the left or the right without looking at the CROSSWIND something-or-other is happening and with speed that is at right angles to your direction; in
wind x Sine (Angle A)
windsock! 60° 6/6 0.87 13% ATC talking on the radio, is work out the wind other words, the crosswind.
It’s an unfortunate aspect of aviation that angle and then multiply the wind speed by Let’s look at that more slowly.
we all lose a significant proportion of our 70° 6/6 0.94 6% the appropriate fraction! The honest truth is Look at Figure 3. You are either lined-up for
intellectual capacity when we have an aircraft 80° 6/6 0.98 2% that the sums are too complicated for most take-off, or on final approach, for runway 35
strapped to our back. I cannot tell you why Aircraft lined up on people to perform whilst flying an aeroplane. and the wind is reported as 040/25. Imagine the
it happens but I can show you a way around R36, wind from 310º. 90° 6/6 1.00 0% It’s therefore no surprise that most pilots DI being a picture of the horizontal situation,
the problem when it comes to crosswinds don’t bother to calculate the components and To make calculating crosswind components easier, drawn with a radius that represents the wind
and headwinds. The purpose of this article is occasionally get an unpleasant surprise. use the aircraft’s Direction Indicator (DI). strength in some scale or other. In other words,

54 LIGHT AVIATION june 2009 june 2009 LIGHT AVIATION 55

> COACHING CORNER

if the wind is 25 knots the radius of the DI

represents 25 knots.
Step 1: Find the reported wind direction
on the outside of the DI (shown as a large
blue arrow). You now have the first piece of
information; the wind is from the right.
Step 2: Mentally drop a vertical line down
from the wind direction on the outside of the DI
to the horizontal centreline.
Step 3: The horizontal centre line represents
the crosswind axis so visually scale-off the
crosswind component as a proportion of the
length of the crosswind axis, i.e. the wind
speed. In Figure 3 it looks like the crosswind
component is just less than 80% of the total
length, say just less 20 knots. Mathematically,
the answer is 19kt. With a little bit of practice
this is fast, and as accurate as you choose to
make it. It also inherently wakes you up to
whether the wind is from your left or your right
– it’s written on the face of the DI. Even airliners have to consider the crosswind and be able to correct the crab angle for landing.

HEAD OR TAIL WIND COMPONENT

Once you are comfortable with the technique
FIGURE 3
it can be used to estimate the head or tail wind Step 1
REPORTED
component in addition to the crosswind. Find the reported wind direction on
WIND
Look at Figure 4. You are lined up for DIRECTION the outside of the DI (shown as a
departure, or on final approach, or simply want large blue arrow). You now have the
to know the wind components on heading 135. first piece of information; the wind is
The wind is reported as 180/30. What are the from the right.
headwind and crosswind components?
You already know how to assess the Step 2
crosswind component and can estimate that Mentally drop a vertical line down
WINDSPEED
REPORTED

it’s close to 20 knots. We can use the same from the wind direction on the
technique to assess the headwind component. CROSSWIND outside of the DI to the horizontal
COMPONENT centreline (shown in blue).
Just project a horizontal line from the wind
direction on the outside of the DI to the
Step 3
vertical centre line (which represents the
The horizontal centre line (red)
head or tailwind axis) and visually scale-off
represents the crosswind axis so
the headwind component as a proportion of
visually scale-off the crosswind
the length of the headwind axis, i.e. the wind
component as a proportion of the
speed. In Figure 4 it looks like the headwind REPORTED
WINDSPEED
length of the crosswind axis, ie, the
component is about 22 knots (mathematically
wind speed. In Figure 3 it looks like
the answer is 21 knots).
the crosswind component is just less
What could be easier?
than 20 knots (mathematically the
But what, you might say, if you aren’t lined-
answer is 19 knots).
up with the runway and want to know the
crosswind and head/tailwind components?
Maybe you are at the holding point, at dispersal
or approaching the airfield. There are two
solutions; one is simply to rotate the DI so that FIGURE 4 REPORTED
the runway heading is at the top, but a better
WIND
answer is to use the ADF or VOR indicators in Try this example yourself. The
DIRECTION
exactly the same way as described for the DI. wind is reported as 180/30. What
This is also the answer for those with a ribbon are the headwind and crosswind
DI: use one of the other compass roses. components?
Possibly you’re flying a very basic aircraft
with no compass rose type instruments at all? Crosswind
If you stick or draw a compass rose on your Using the method above, we can
kneeboard you can still use the method. In fact, assess the crosswind component and
COMPONENT

with a compass rose of any type you are now estimate it’s close to 20kt.
HEADWIND

able to accurately estimate wind components CROSSWIND

without doing sums. Isn’t that a relief? headwind
COMPONENT
We can use the same technique to
PRACTICE IN THE BATH assess the headwind component.
Use the compass rose in Figure 2 to practice Just project a horizontal line from
on while you’re in the bath. Turn the DI to the wind direction on the outside
represent a turbulent approach into a shortish of the DI to the vertical centreline
airstrip with a runway orientation of 345º. The (which represents the head or
wind is 030/25. REPORTED tail wind axis). Visually scale off
Estimate the crosswind component. Is it WINDSPEED the headwind component as a
inside the demonstrated crosswind capability proportion of the headwind axis, ie
of your aircraft? Will the headwind component the wind speed. Here it looks like the
have been reduced sufficiently to give you headwind component is about 22kt
concerns over the landing distance available? (mathematically the answer is 21kt).
Mind the bubbles!

56 LIGHT AVIATION JUNE 2009