Aviation calculators
Quick, free tools for the sums controllers and pilots do every day.
Each one works in your browser with no sign-up, shows the answer as you type, and explains the formula behind it. The crosswind and altitude calculators can also load live weather for any airport.
Which calculator do you need?
| You want to know | Use |
|---|---|
| Which runway suits the wind, and how much crosswind there is | Crosswind calculator |
| Whether two aircraft will keep their separation, and how long you have | Separation calculator |
| How to join a hold from your heading | Holding entry calculator |
| When to start down, and how fast to descend | Descent calculator |
| What an IAS or Mach number means in true airspeed or groundspeed | Speed converter |
| Pressure or density altitude, or the transition level for today’s QNH | Altitude calculator |
| The heading to fly in a wind, and your groundspeed | Wind correction calculator |
| How far it is between two airports, and how long it takes | Distance and flight time calculator |
| How many aircraft a runway can land, and how queues build | Arrival rate calculator |
| What time it is in UTC, or what a METAR or NOTAM time means | UTC and Zulu time converter |
| How to spell a callsign or word on the radio | Phonetic alphabet translator |
| hPa in inHg, knots in km/h, feet in metres and more | Aviation unit converter |
Who they’re for
They’re built for student controllers and pilots checking their working, flight simulation fans, and anyone curious about the sums behind air traffic control. Every answer can be checked by hand, because each page shows its formula, a worked example and the rule of thumb professionals use in their heads.
To put them to use, take the seat in the free ATC Radar Simulator, or look up a real airport’s conditions on the Weather page first. The Learn section explains the ideas behind each one.
For training and simulation only. These calculators are for learning and for games. Their results are automatic, and they don’t account for everything a real operation does. Never use them for real flight planning, navigation or air traffic control. Use your official charts, approved tools and procedures.
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