Pilot tools
Free tools for the preflight.
Four free tools for pilots, each with the FAA formula or framework behind it and a worked example: a crosswind calculator, a density altitude calculator, a METAR decoder and a printable personal minimums worksheet. No account, nothing to install.
01
Crosswind calculator ↗
Headwind, crosswind and tailwind for any runway, with gusts and the side the wind is coming from.
02
Density altitude calculator ↗
Pressure altitude, ISA deviation and density altitude from field elevation, altimeter and temperature.
03
METAR decoder ↗
Paste a METAR and read it in plain English, with ceiling and the VFR, MVFR, IFR or LIFR flight category.
04
Personal minimums worksheet ↗
A printable worksheet built on the FAA PAVE checklist. Fill it in on screen, print it on Letter paper.
Questions
- Do these pilot tools need an account or an app?
- No. Every tool runs in your web browser with nothing to sign up for or install, and the inputs stay on your device.
- Where do the formulas come from?
- Each tool links its FAA source: the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge for crosswind, density altitude and the PAVE checklist, and Advisory Circular 00-45H for METAR format and flight categories.
- Can I use these numbers for flight planning?
- Use them to check your own work and to learn the method. Your POH or AFM, official weather and your own judgment as pilot in command remain the authority.
Then fly it in Ascent.
Charts, weather and 3D terrain in one EFB for iPhone and iPad, with METARs and TAFs decoded in plain language.
Get Ascent on the App Store