Wind triangle

It is used extensively in dead reckoning navigation.

The wind triangle describes the relationships among the quantities used in air navigation.

The known vectors are drawn to scale and in the proper direction on an aeronautical chart, using protractor and dividers.

Alternatively, the E6B flight computer (a circular slide rule with a translucent "wind face" on which to plot the vectors) can be used to graphically solve the wind triangle equations.

On aircraft equipped with advanced navigation equipment, the wind triangle is often solved within the flight management system, (FMS) using inputs from the air data computer (ADC), inertial navigation system (INS), global positioning system (GPS), and other instruments, (VOR), (DME), (ADF).

The wind triangle graphically represents the relationships among velocity vectors used for air navigation.