AEROWAY TECHNICAL REFERENCE
STD: 29.92 inHg
AEROWAY.ORGREF-01
Aeronautical Reference Architecture
HUB-B // KINEMATICS & VECTOR NAVIGATION

Wind & Navigation Domain Hub

Deterministic vector trigonometry and flight triangle kinematics connecting departure runway wind assessment with en-route dead-reckoning drift corrections.

01 //The Aeronautical Triangle of Velocities

Interactive Kinematic Vector Radar: Heading/TAS + Wind Vector = Track/Groundspeed

FAA-H-8083-25C / ICAO Annex 2
Interactive Velocity Vector Radar
Air Vector Ground Vector Wind Vector
000° N090° E180° S270° WHDG: 082° (110 kt TAS)TRK: 090° (96.1 kt GS)WIND: 040° @ 20 ktWCA: -8.0°
090°
110 kt
040°
20 kt
Quick Flight Navigation Presets:
VECTOR TELEMETRY HUD
TRK 090°
CALCULATED GS
96.1 kt
Δ Speed: -13.9 kt
TRUE HEADING
082°
Fly this heading
WCA / DRIFT
-8.0°
Crab Left (West)
WIND DECOMPOSITION
XW: 15.3 kt
HW: +12.9 kt
Navigation Law:

Heading corrected for wind crab ($TH = TC + WCA$) ensures aircraft stays on desired airway centerline. Apply local magnetic variation to obtain Magnetic Heading (MH).

Full Wind Correction Angle Solver→Runway Crosswind & Gust Solver→

02 //Pre-Flight to En-Route Wind Solving Sequence

PHASE 1 // SURFACE

Runway Wind Analysis

Resolve reported surface wind and gusts against active runway magnetic headings to verify crosswind components against AFM demonstrated limitations.

Runway Crosswind Calculator →
PHASE 2 // EN-ROUTE

Wind Correction Angle (WCA)

Apply forecasted winds aloft to true course and TAS to compute the required crab angle (True Heading) and resulting groundspeed across the leg.

Wind Correction Calculator →
PHASE 3 // INTEGRATED

E6B Slide-Rule Workstation

Feed groundspeed directly into time-speed-distance scalar solvers and fuel consumption engines for seamless multi-leg navigation logs.

Master E6B Suite →

03 //Wind & Navigation Calculator Engines

EXACT MODELv1.0.0

Runway Crosswind & Headwind Component Calculator

Calculate runway-relative headwind/tailwind and crosswind components from runway direction and reported wind vectors.

Key Equation:
Crosswind = WindSpeed × |sin(WindDir - RunwayHdg)|; Headwind = WindSpeed × cos(WindDir - RunwayHdg)
Launch Tool

04 //DPE Oral Exam Checkride Standards (Wind & Dead Reckoning)

What is the mathematical difference between Crosswind and Wind Correction Angle?↓
Crosswind component is an orthogonal Cartesian decomposition of the surface wind vector relative to a fixed runway orientation (XW = V_wind × |sin(θ)|). In contrast, Wind Correction Angle (WCA) is an angular drift offset computed on the spherical triangle of velocities (law of sines) so that the aircraft heading crabs into the wind to maintain the desired ground track.
Why is demonstrated crosswind velocity in the POH not an operational limitation for Part 91?↓
Under FAA Part 23 certification, the manufacturer demonstrates controllability during takeoff and landing in crosswinds equal to at least 0.2 × V_S0 (often 12–17 knots for light singles). For Part 91 private operations, this is not an absolute statutory limitation unless explicitly listed under Section 2 (Limitations) of the AFM/POH, though exceeding it introduces substantial aerodynamic hazard.
How does magnetic variation affect wind solutions?↓
Reported surface winds from METAR/ATIS are referenced to True North (except from local air traffic control towers, which report Magnetic). Runway designators and navigational courses are referenced to Magnetic North. Pilots must apply local magnetic variation (East is least, West is best) to align all vectors into the same angular reference frame before solving.
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