Mental Math For Pilots Practice Test

If wind is 18 knots from the left at 90° to the runway, what is the crosswind component?

10 knots 12 knots 18 knots 20 knots

Correct Answer:

18 knots

Explanation:

Crosswind is the portion of wind that pushes the aircraft sideways relative to the runway. When wind comes from the left at 90 degrees to the runway, it is exactly perpendicular to the runway centerline, so the crosswind component equals the full wind speed. Using crosswind = wind speed × sin(angle between wind and runway), with angle = 90°, sin(90°) = 1, giving 18 knots. There is no headwind component here (wind speed × cos(90°) = 0). So the crosswind component is 18 knots. The other values would occur at different angles where sin is less than 1.

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