Plain English Meaning

A chart that breaks a reported wind into two parts: how much of it is blowing straight down the runway, and how much is blowing across it. Pilots use it to check whether the crosswind is within what the aircraft and the pilot can safely handle.

Full Definition

A graphical chart used to determine the headwind and crosswind components of a reported wind relative to a runway. The pilot enters the chart with the angle between the wind direction and the runway heading, and the reported wind speed, then reads off two values: the headwind component (the portion of wind blowing straight down the runway) and the crosswind component (the portion blowing across it).

Context Anchor

Seen during takeoff and planning, especially when checking runway against information.