Track, Bearing, Course, Heading

[[email protected]]

Hello,

I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
us?

-dr

[Roy Smith]

In article . com>,
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
> kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
> like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
> us?
>
> -dr

Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS shows.

Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
(bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).

I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer to
your motion over the ground.

Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what you
read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
would be the same.

[vincent p. norris]

Let me suggest a couple of refinements to Roy's basically correct
answer:

>Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS shows.

Might be clearer to the questioner if we say that track is the way you
actually went, regardless of what you intended. Exactly as an animal
leaves tracks.
>
>Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
>(bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).
>
>I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer to
>your motion over the ground.

Course is what you intend to fly. It is the line you drew on the
chart before going to the airport. If everything works out perfectly,
your track will be the same, but if the winds are not as forecast, or
you aren't paying enough attention to the compass, the two will
differ.
>
>Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what you
>read off your compass or DG.

That's your "compass heading." Magnetic heading is the compass
heading corrected for deviation (instrument error). True heading is
magnetic heading corrected for variation-- caused by the fact that the
magnetic pole is not at the North pole.

Might add the word "drift"--which is the difference between heading
and track, caused by wind.

[Dan Luke]

"Roy Smith" wrote:

>
> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing.

??

If you match your track to the bearing you will get to the waypoint. If you
match your track to the course, you may or may not.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

[Ron Rosenfeld]

On 9 Jun 2006 19:14:31 -0700, wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
>kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
>like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
>us?
>
>-dr

Since your dealing in "aviation-speak", it is usually best to take
definitions from the Pilot/Controller Glossary:

BEARING- The horizontal direction to or from any point, usually measured
clockwise from true north, magnetic north, or some other reference point
through 360 degrees.

COURSE-
a. The intended direction of flight in the horizontal plane measured in
degrees from north.

b. The ILS localizer signal pattern usually specified as the front course
or the back course.

c. The intended track along a straight, curved, or segmented MLS path.

TRACK- The actual flight path of an aircraft over the surface of the earth.

or

TRACK [ICAO]- The projection on the earth's surface of the path of an
aircraft, the direction of which path at any point is usually expressed in
degrees from North (True, Magnetic, or Grid).

Note the subtle difference between COURSE and TRACK -- COURSE is the
"intended direction of flight"; TRACK is the "actual flight path"

HEADING is not defined in the P/CG, but is the direction that the nose of
the aircraft is pointing -- and may be expressed as TRUE or MAGNETIC.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)

[karl gruber]

Roy,

Course and track are different.

Course is the line you draw on the map.

Track is the history of the airplanes movement over the ground.

If you keep the track superimposed on the course you will get to your
destination.

Karl
ATP CFI ETC
"Curator" N185KG


"Roy Smith" > wrote in message
...
> In article . com>,
> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
>> kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
>> like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
>>
>>
>> -dr
>
> Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS
> shows.
>
> Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
> (bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).
>
> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer to
> your motion over the ground.
>
> Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what
> you
> read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
> would be the same.

[Michael]

Roy Smith wrote:
> Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS shows.

So far, so good.

> Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
> (bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).

Correct, but worth clarifying. An absolute bearing of 270 degees means
if you go due west, you will get there. A relative bearing of 270
degrees means that if you go exactly to your 9 O'clock you will get
there. Bearing is always relative to your heading (which way your nose
is pointed) rather than your track (which way you are actually going).

> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer to
> your motion over the ground.

They do both refer to your motion over the ground, but track refers to
the way you are actually going, and course refers to the way you are
supposed to be going. If you consistently fly a LOC with two dots out,
you will still get to the runway - you are tracking to the runway - but
you are off course (and converging on it) and your track and course are
differnent (if only by a degree or so).

In GPS terms, course is the purple line on the GPS. Track is the way
the little airplane is actually pointed. Or, in VOR terms, the course
is the selected radial. Just because the CDI is centered (meaning you
are on your course) does not mean you are actually on the correct track
(you might just be swinging through center).

> Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what you
> read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
> would be the same.

With no wind heading and track are the same, not heading and course.

This is what I meant by internalizing the differences. The moving map
allows you to get by most of the time without really understanding the
difference. The ADF forces you to understand the differences.

Michael

[Allan9]

Howland?

Al

"karl gruber" > wrote in message
...
> Roy,
>
> Course and track are different.
>
> Course is the line you draw on the map.
>
> Track is the history of the airplanes movement over the ground.
>
> If you keep the track superimposed on the course you will get to your
> destination.
>
> Karl
> ATP CFI ETC
> "Curator" N185KG
>
>
> "Roy Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>> In article . com>,
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
>>> kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
>>> like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
>>>
>>>
>>> -dr
>>
>> Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS
>> shows.
>>
>> Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
>> (bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).
>>
>> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer
>> to
>> your motion over the ground.
>>
>> Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what
>> you
>> read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
>> would be the same.
>
>

[Allan9]

If I had read I wouldn't have asked the question. Did you buy the aircraft
from Ken Gibson?
Al
"Allan9" > wrote in message
. ..
> Howland?
>
> Al
>
> "karl gruber" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Roy,
>>
>> Course and track are different.
>>
>> Course is the line you draw on the map.
>>
>> Track is the history of the airplanes movement over the ground.
>>
>> If you keep the track superimposed on the course you will get to your
>> destination.
>>
>> Karl
>> ATP CFI ETC
>> "Curator" N185KG
>>
>>
>> "Roy Smith" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> In article . com>,
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
>>>> kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here who'd
>>>> like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -dr
>>>
>>> Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS
>>> shows.
>>>
>>> Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be absolute
>>> (bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).
>>>
>>> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer
>>> to
>>> your motion over the ground.
>>>
>>> Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what
>>> you
>>> read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
>>> would be the same.
>>
>>
>
>

[karl gruber]

No. I did look at Ken Gibson's airplane. He sold it and the new owner
unlisted the "N" number and I snatched it up. I was just looking at some
pictures of Ken'n airplane last week during an annual. My 82' model is nicer
in all ways, including having only 425 hours on her when purchased.


Best wishes,
Karl
"Curator"
N185KG


"Allan9" > wrote in message
. ..
> If I had read I wouldn't have asked the question. Did you buy the
> aircraft from Ken Gibson?
> Al
> "Allan9" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> Howland?
>>
>> Al
>>
>> "karl gruber" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Roy,
>>>
>>> Course and track are different.
>>>
>>> Course is the line you draw on the map.
>>>
>>> Track is the history of the airplanes movement over the ground.
>>>
>>> If you keep the track superimposed on the course you will get to your
>>> destination.
>>>
>>> Karl
>>> ATP CFI ETC
>>> "Curator" N185KG
>>>
>>>
>>> "Roy Smith" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> In article . com>,
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm sure I should know the difference between all of these... but it
>>>>> kinda starts to blur together. I'm sure there are others on here
>>>>> who'd
>>>>> like a refresher. Anyone out there want to explain the differences to
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -dr
>>>>
>>>> Track is the motion you are making over the ground. It is what a GPS
>>>> shows.
>>>>
>>>> Bearing is the direction from you to someplace else. It can be
>>>> absolute
>>>> (bearing 270 degrees) or relative (9 O'Clock).
>>>>
>>>> I would say that Course and Track mean the same thing. They both refer
>>>> to
>>>> your motion over the ground.
>>>>
>>>> Heading is what direction the nose of the plane is pointing. It's what
>>>> you
>>>> read off your compass or DG. If there was no wind, Heading and Course
>>>> would be the same.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>