How can the range of an aircraft be calculated given real wind conditions? I am very new to aviation and trying to understand how to calculate the actual range of an aircraft given real world wind conditions.  I understand from this related question that you need  30 minutes of reserve and that tailwind and headwind direction will obviously impact your range.  I've also heard that the altitude you fly at can impact your range because higher air is thinner and allows you to travel faster.  I also would assume that the aircraft load would impact range.  So my question is:

Given the theoretical range of an aircraft (i.e. from specs published at this site) how do you calculate how far the aircraft can actually travel at a given altitude, with a given load, and with current wind conditions?
The best answer: Use the charts in the respective Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH). There you should find correction factors for the parameters which influence aircraft range


Fuel on board: The more, the better. But note that doubling fuel will not double range.
Take-off mass: If you take no payload, the aircraft will produce less induced drag and reach a slightly higher range. See the chart below for an example.
Wind enroute. Follow the link; the wind component parallel to your flight direction will change the range by the product of wind speed times flight time.
Cruise altitude: This depends on the type of engines, jets benefit more from altitude than propeller aircraft.
Temperature


Generally, there should be a chart like this:



It plots the maximum achievable range over the aircraft's payload and assumes that the tanks are filled such that the flight starts with the maximum take-off mass. The chart should also have an explanation that clarifies which altitude and which thrust setting were used.

Or you use approximations like Breguet's range equation, which require detailed knowledge of the aircrafts L/D and the engine's fuel consumption. That will be the weakest point of any range calculation: Sufficient data how changes in the aforementioned parameters affect the result.