Crosswind component calculator
The sine rule, three rules of thumb, two worked examples, and how to relate the number to your aircraft's POH demonstrated crosswind.
Pilot guides
Practical guides on the topics pilots are already searching for around Aero Companion: crosswind and headwind components, Zulu time, NOTAM timestamps, VFR flight planning, glide distance, and diversion decisions.
Crosswind chart guide
Reading the classic crosswind chart at a glance — arcs, radials, and shortcuts that get you within a knot or two without arithmetic.
Headwind and crosswind component calculator
Split any wind into runway headwind, tailwind, and crosswind components, including gusts and worked pilot examples.
VFR flight planning checklist
Weather, weight and balance, route and alternates, fuel, personal minimums, and a structured go/no-go decision for VFR cross-countries.
VFR flight plan guide
Route, weather, fuel, alternates, filing, activation, closure, and how to keep the plan useful when assumptions change.
Glide distance planning
Glide ratio, the still-air glide ring, wind correction, and how to plan a cross-country that keeps a runway in glide range.
Zulu time converter for pilots
Why aviation uses UTC, how to convert between local and Zulu across DST, and how to read METAR/TAF/NOTAM timestamps.
How to calculate Zulu time
A simple UTC conversion table, daylight-saving examples, date-change traps, and aviation timestamp explanations.
Are NOTAMs in local or Zulu time?
How to read NOTAM time windows, avoid date-conversion mistakes, and compare NOTAMs with METAR, TAF, and ETA timing.
Flight diversion planning
Pre-decided diversion criteria, picking real alternates on the ground, and a clean in-flight decision flow when the plan stops matching reality.
Jump to a tool
- Runway crosswind calculator — pick a runway by crosswind component, METAR or TAF.
- Glide-aware VFR flight planner — wind-aware routing that stays in glide range of an airport.
- Pilot UTC / Zulu time converter — local, UTC / Zulu, destination, and back-at-origin on one line.
- Walkthroughs — short guides for the crosswind finder, planner, and account features.