Tailwind component

Tailwind component is the portion of wind blowing in the same direction as an aircraft's travel or runway heading. It is expressed in knots. A tailwind component increases groundspeed for a given airspeed and generally increases the runway distance required for takeoff or landing.

How it works

The component depends on wind speed and the angle between the wind direction and the runway or aircraft heading. Wind directly from behind produces a tailwind component equal to the wind speed. Wind from the side produces a crosswind component instead. A wind at an intermediate angle produces both components.

The crosswind calculator determines the signed along-runway component and the lateral component from the two headings and wind speed. Wind direction is the direction the wind comes from, not the direction it travels toward.

Example

A runway heading is 180° and the wind is from 000° at 10 knots. The wind is directly from behind, so the tailwind component is 10 knots and the crosswind component is zero. With a 20 degree offset, the tailwind component would be smaller and a crosswind would appear.

Why it matters

Tailwind changes takeoff and landing groundspeed and can materially affect runway performance. The aircraft's POH may specify a maximum demonstrated or recommended tailwind component. That figure is aircraft-specific and should not be treated as a universal limit.

Use current wind information, runway condition data, and the applicable POH or AFM. A component calculation does not determine whether a flight operation is appropriate.

Related terms and tools

• Crosswind component
• Headwind component
• Crosswind calculator