Wind Correction Angle Calculator — WCA & Ground Speed
Find the heading you must fly and the resulting ground speed when wind pushes an aircraft off its desired track. Enter true course, airspeed, wind direction and wind speed to get the wind correction angle and true heading to steer.
°
kt
°
kt
Steer RIGHT of your desired course to hold track
- 1
Wind angle relative to course: WD − TC
(180° − 90° + 360) mod 360 = 90° - 2
Cross-wind component: WS × sin(WA)
20 kt × sin(90°) = 20 kt - 3
sin(WCA) = cross-wind ÷ TAS
20 ÷ 120 = 0.1667 - 4
Wind Correction Angle: arcsin(result)
arcsin(0.1667) = 9.6Positive = steer right of course; negative = steer left.
How does this calculator work?
WCA = arcsin(WS × sin(WA) / TAS). Enter true course, airspeed, wind direction and wind speed to find the crab angle needed to hold course and the resulting ground speed. Steer right for positive WCA, left for negative.
Formula
How this is calculated
When an aircraft flies through a moving air mass the air carries the aircraft sideways, just as a river current carries a swimmer downstream. To hold a desired ground track the pilot aims the nose slightly into the wind — the angle between the nose heading and the desired course is the wind correction angle (WCA).
The formula comes from the vector triangle of velocities: ground velocity = airspeed vector + wind vector. Resolving the perpendicular component gives WCA = arcsin(WS × sin(WA) / TAS), where WA is the difference between wind direction and true course. The along-course component yields the resulting ground speed. A positive WCA means steer right of course; a negative WCA means steer left.
This simplified E6B methodology assumes no vertical winds and wind speed below true airspeed (otherwise no valid heading exists). In practice, a pilot then corrects for magnetic variation and compass deviation to convert true heading to a compass reading.
Frequently asked questions
The wind correction angle (WCA) is the number of degrees a pilot angles the aircraft nose into the wind so that the actual track over the ground matches the intended course. Without the correction, the crosswind component would push the aircraft off course.
If wind speed equals or exceeds true airspeed, the wind can push the aircraft sideways faster than it can fly, making it impossible to hold the desired course. The arcsin formula has no real solution when WS × sin(WA) ≥ TAS.
Subtract east magnetic variation or add west magnetic variation to convert true heading to magnetic heading (east is least, west is best). Then apply the aircraft's compass deviation using the deviation card. This calculator gives true heading only.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Wind Correction Angle Calculator — WCA & Ground Speed [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/wind-correction-angle-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Wind Correction Angle Calculator — WCA & Ground Speed." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/wind-correction-angle-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Wind Correction Angle Calculator — WCA & Ground Speed," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/wind-correction-angle-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_wind_correction_angle_calculator, title = {Wind Correction Angle Calculator — WCA & Ground Speed}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/wind-correction-angle-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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