A wind directly in your face that slows you down is called a headwind. A wind from directly behind you is called a tailwind. Tailwinds are often good during most of the trip, because you can go faster, allowing you to get to your estination sooner (and with less fuel if in an airplane, motorboat, or snowmobile).

How do you get a headwind?

Headwind speed (or tailwind) = wind speed * cos ( α )

How does a headwind work?

Headwinds are what work against an aircraft because these winds blow against an aircraft's flight path. Planes flying against headwinds are essentially slowed down by that wind. ... When a plane is flying with tailwinds, the speed of those winds is, in a way, added to the speed in which the aircraft is flying.