Bearing and Course, differences?

[Allen Smith]

Hey guys,
I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.

So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
required to fly direct)

Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
(with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
while the bearing would change, correct?

Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
lesson is scheduled for next week...

Thanks guys!

[Don Tuite]

On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith >
wrote:

>Hey guys,
>I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
>While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
>between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>
>So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
>somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
>heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
>required to fly direct)
>
>Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
>(with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
>be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
>while the bearing would change, correct?
>
>Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
>Thanks guys!

Crudely, your bearing is what your compass says at any given time.
Your course is your track over the ground. If there is a wind aloft
that is not directly in line with your course, the two will be
different.

Going from wherever you are to a VOR at point b, the course you have
to fly is what the line on your chart says, or what the Omni Bearing
Selector (OBS) on your VOR head says when the needle is centered and
the flag says TO. Bearing is the compass direction you point the nose
of the airplane in to keep the needle centered.

Just to make your brain hurt, courses and bearings are relative to
magnetic North, while the Winds Aloft forecasts (which you might use
for dead reckoning) give wind direction in terms of the place in the
sky the winds appear to be coming FROM -- in terms of true North.

This is fairly simple stuff when you're sitting at a desk, but it can
be confusing when you're stressed because somebody moved the landmarks
while you weren't looking, or the airplane is bouncing around and
making funny noises, etc. That's why it's good to practice stuff like
wind triangles and dead reckoning on the ground a lot -- to give your
brain some familiar things to latch onto later on -- even if it seems
during your cross countries like all you're ever going to need to do
is follow the magenta line on your GPS.

Don

[Really-Old-Fart]

In rec.aviation.piloting, on Thu 30 Aug 2007 12:00:02a, Allen Smith
> wrote:

> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...

Basically it boils down to this -- bearing is which way you're pointing and
course is which way you're going. Think about it like paddling a canoe
across a river. You point your canoe directly perpendicular to the river
bank (that would be your bearing / heading), but your actual path is an
angle downstream (your course).

[Allen Smith]

Thanks for both replies! I can visualize it now!

Now I got a question, how is the bearing mag. differrent from the
mag. bearing?
Also, what about a rhumb line? Let's say now wind exist, is the
course and bearing going to be the same?

[Jim Logajan]

Don Tuite > wrote:
> Crudely, your bearing is what your compass says at any given time.
> Your course is your track over the ground.

You know, I always thought "bearing" was always relative. For example, if
someone tells me a target is at bearing 90 degrees I always know to look
out over my right shoulder and if they tell me I have a Klingon warship
bearing 180 I know I have a Klingon directly aft - whether I'm traveling
north, south, east, west, up, or down.

But it appears that in navigation the zero degree reference direction is
generally understood to be magnetic north unless context states otherwise.
Here's the Wikipedia info which seems to match your explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Course_(navigation)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_%28navigation%29

[Stefan]

Really-Old-Fart schrieb:

>> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>> lesson is scheduled for next week...

> Basically it boils down to this -- bearing is which way you're pointing and
> course is which way you're going.

No, this is wrong. Actually, the difference between course and bearing
is quite subtle.


Course is the direction from the start point to the end point of a
navigation segment.

Bearing is the direction from your present actual position to the end
point of the navigation segment. Ideally this would be the same as
course, but it need not, because you can deviate from the straight line.

Heading is the direction in which you point the nose of your aircraft.

And last there is track, which is the path you actually fly.


Without wind and if you fly a perfectly straight line, all four are the
same. With wind, or if are not capable to hold the direct line, of if
you simply choose to deliberately deviate from the straight line, the
four values differ from each otehr.

Stefan

[Matt Whiting]

Don Tuite wrote:
> On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith >
> wrote:
>
>> Hey guys,
>> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
>> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
>> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>>
>> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
>> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
>> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
>> required to fly direct)
>>
>> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
>> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
>> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
>> while the bearing would change, correct?
>>
>> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>>
>> Thanks guys!
>
> Crudely, your bearing is what your compass says at any given time.
> Your course is your track over the ground. If there is a wind aloft
> that is not directly in line with your course, the two will be
> different.

No, this is magnetic heading.


> Going from wherever you are to a VOR at point b, the course you have
> to fly is what the line on your chart says, or what the Omni Bearing
> Selector (OBS) on your VOR head says when the needle is centered and
> the flag says TO. Bearing is the compass direction you point the nose
> of the airplane in to keep the needle centered.

No it is not.


> Just to make your brain hurt, courses and bearings are relative to
> magnetic North, while the Winds Aloft forecasts (which you might use
> for dead reckoning) give wind direction in terms of the place in the
> sky the winds appear to be coming FROM -- in terms of true North.
>
> This is fairly simple stuff when you're sitting at a desk, but it can
> be confusing when you're stressed because somebody moved the landmarks
> while you weren't looking, or the airplane is bouncing around and
> making funny noises, etc. That's why it's good to practice stuff like
> wind triangles and dead reckoning on the ground a lot -- to give your
> brain some familiar things to latch onto later on -- even if it seems
> during your cross countries like all you're ever going to need to do
> is follow the magenta line on your GPS.

Yes, simple, but you still got it wrong.

Matt

[Allen[_1_]]

"Allen Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Hey guys,
> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>
> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
> required to fly direct)
>
> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
> while the bearing would change, correct?
>
> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
> Thanks guys!

Oh no, not another one!

[BT]

Bearing "To"
Course "From"
is what I was taught..

BT

"Allen Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Hey guys,
> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>
> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
> required to fly direct)
>
> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
> while the bearing would change, correct?
>
> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
> Thanks guys!
>
>
>
>

[Bob Gardner]

Can I inject a little sanity to this thread? The AIM's Pilot/Controller
Glossary says that bearing is "The horizontal direction to or from any
point, usually measured clockwise from true north, magnetic north, or some
other reference point, through 360 degrees." It defines course as "The
intended flight direction in the horizontal plane measured in degreee from
north."

Bearing has nothing to do with direction of travel. If a controller says
"You have traffic at three o'clock," that traffic is on a bearing of 90
degrees from you.

Course is a line on the chart; heading is the actual direction the airplane
is pointing, which differs from course by the wind correction angle. Ground
track is, hopefully, the same as course (if the wind correction angle is
exactly right).

Bob Gardner
THE COMPLETE PRIVATE PILOT

"Allen Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Hey guys,
> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>
> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
> required to fly direct)
>
> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
> while the bearing would change, correct?
>
> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
> Thanks guys!
>
>
>
>

[Bob Gardner]

You were taught wrong...refer to the P/C Glossary.

Bob Gardner

"BT" > wrote in message
...
> Bearing "To"
> Course "From"
> is what I was taught..
>
> BT
>
> "Allen Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hey guys,
>> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
>> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
>> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>>
>> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
>> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
>> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
>> required to fly direct)
>>
>> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
>> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
>> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
>> while the bearing would change, correct?
>>
>> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>>
>> Thanks guys!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Really-Old-Fart]

In rec.aviation.piloting, on Thu 30 Aug 2007 10:38:26a, "BT" <bNOtiz2
@SPAM.cox.net> wrote:

> Bearing "To"
> Course "From"
> is what I was taught..

I use "heading", which I'm willing to assume is equivalent to the OP's
"bearing". For "course", I'll assume that it is equivalent to "COG -
Course Over Ground".

[Robert M. Gary]

Bearing starts with a B and Course starts with a C. ;)

-Robert, CFII

[Bob Gardner]

I would not equate heading and bearing. Of course, I am an old fogey who
navigated USCG cutters long before GPS was even thought of. When within
sight of shore, we would take magnetic bearings from two or more
navigational aids (buoys, lighthouses, day marks) and plot them...where the
lines crossed was our position. Meanwhile, the helmsman was maintaining
course using a gyrocompass set to true north.

Bob Gardner

"Really-Old-Fart" > wrote in message
.. .
> In rec.aviation.piloting, on Thu 30 Aug 2007 10:38:26a, "BT" <bNOtiz2
> @SPAM.cox.net> wrote:
>
>> Bearing "To"
>> Course "From"
>> is what I was taught..
>
> I use "heading", which I'm willing to assume is equivalent to the OP's
> "bearing". For "course", I'll assume that it is equivalent to "COG -
> Course Over Ground".

[Guillermo]

On Aug 30, 12:45 pm, "Bob Gardner" > wrote:
> Can I inject a little sanity to this thread? The AIM's Pilot/Controller
> Glossary says that bearing is "The horizontal direction to or from any
> point, usually measured clockwise from true north, magnetic north, or some
> other reference point, through 360 degrees." It defines course as "The
> intended flight direction in the horizontal plane measured in degreee from
> north."
>
> Bearing has nothing to do with direction of travel. If a controller says
> "You have traffic at three o'clock," that traffic is on a bearing of 90
> degrees from you.

That is incorrect, or to say it in a better way, partially correct.
You are describing relative bearing.
Remember the old formula to work with ADF bearings:
Magnetic Bearing = Magnetic Heading + Relative Bearing (to a station).

As it has been mentioned before, the bearing (to a station or point)
refers to which way you need to go from the point you are at, at any
moment, to your destination point or any other point.
The relative bearing is what you just described.
Course is the line from your starting point to your destination point.
If you remain on this line, the course direction will coincide with
the bearing to your destination.

[Dallas]

On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith wrote:

> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...

First, Bob Gardner's post is very clear and correct.

If you are talking about creating a flight plan and flying a course, the
term bearing is a bit out of place. For flight planning you'll start with
a line on a chart which will be the True Course and end with Compass
Heading.

You use Compass Heading to point the aircraft in a direction that will
result in moving you along the True Course.

The steps to calculate Compass Heading are:

True Course - The line on the chart expressed as a True North based course

True Heading - True Course corrected for Wind Correction Angle

Magnetic Heading - True Heading corrected for magnetic variation

Compass Heading - Magnetic Heading corrected for Compass Deviation Error

(I feel your pain... I just went through this stuff too...)

--
Dallas

[Dudley Henriques[_2_]]

Dallas wrote:
> On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith wrote:
>
>> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
> First, Bob Gardner's post is very clear and correct.
>
> If you are talking about creating a flight plan and flying a course, the
> term bearing is a bit out of place. For flight planning you'll start with
> a line on a chart which will be the True Course and end with Compass
> Heading.
>
> You use Compass Heading to point the aircraft in a direction that will
> result in moving you along the True Course.
>
> The steps to calculate Compass Heading are:
>
> True Course - The line on the chart expressed as a True North based course
>
> True Heading - True Course corrected for Wind Correction Angle
>
> Magnetic Heading - True Heading corrected for magnetic variation
>
> Compass Heading - Magnetic Heading corrected for Compass Deviation Error
>
> (I feel your pain... I just went through this stuff too...)
>
Many new student pilots are confused by the many different terms used in
the basic navigation glossary. Although mentioned and demonstrated
every time instructors are dealing with this issue, many instructors
fail to emphasize the single most important point for the student to
understand.
If this single point is EMPHASIZED early on in the learning curve, it
can save a ton of confusion down the line as the student ponders basic
navigation problems.
That single fact that should be emphasized early on is that a heading is
always corrected for wind! You can deal with the courses straight
through the chain without a wind correction which can be very confusing
to a new student.
TC -+ Var= MC -+ Dev= CC Notice no wind correction there, but the
student has to deal with wind.
You insert a correction for wind anywhere in this chain and you change
from dealing with courses to dealing with headings.
TC-+ (WCA)= TH-+ Var= MH-+ Dev=CH
It's the misuse of the term heading when dealing with charts where the
term course is indicated that confuses many students. They fly a heading
to make good a course so the whole problem is one of correcting a course
on a chart through variation and deviation AND a wind correction to
achieve a final compass HEADING.
I don't know how many times I've seen something in print that reads like,
"What is the heading of that runway?" or "what is the heading of that
VOR radial?"
It's VERY confusing for new students!!


--
Dudley Henriques

[Guillermo]

On Aug 31, 7:38 am, Bob Moore > wrote:
> Guillermo wrote
>
> > "Bob Gardner" > wrote:
> >> Can I inject a little sanity to this thread? The AIM's
> >> Pilot/Controller Glossary says that bearing is "The horizontal
> >> direction to or from any point, usually measured clockwise from true
> >> north, magnetic north, or some other reference point, through 360
> >> degrees."
> > That is incorrect, or to say it in a better way, partially correct.
> > You are describing relative bearing.
>
> One would do well to avoid the attempt to correct Bob Gardner.
>
> Bob Moore
> Graduate, Navy Navigation School

The way you suppressed the text in the middle in my response is very
misleading.
The definition of bearing from the FAR/AIM is clearly correct.
What I was pointing as incomplete is when Bob says that bearing does
not apply to direction of travel, and talks about the traffic at 3 o
clock. In that case the traffic is at 90 degrees relative bearing
(relative to your direction of travel)
But there IS ALSO a "bearing to a station" referenced to the magnetic
north. If I am 10 miles out on the 235 radial of LAL VOR, then the
bearing to LAL VOR would be 55 degrees, which is the direction of
travel (referenced to the magnetic north), that you would need to
travel to get to LAL.

I am very aware that Bob Gardner is very knowledgeable in aviation.
However, that doesn't make him a God who cannot make mistakes.
If I believe somebody is mistaken, I will try to clarify what he was
saying, I don't care who he/she is.

[Guillermo]

On Aug 31, 2:11 am, Dallas > wrote:
> On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith wrote:
>
> > Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> > lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
> First, Bob Gardner's post is very clear and correct.
>

So you are saying that there is not such thing as a magnetic bearing
to a station, which is the direction of travel needed to go directly
to a station (referenced to the magnetic north)?

[Bob Gardner]

Let's give this Bob Gardner guy a break and say that his answer was
incomplete.

Bearings taken from a repeater on the wing of the bridge can be either true,
magnetic, or relative. Guillermo is correct in saying that my description
could be interpreted as a relative bearing. As the navigator peers through
the sights, the relative bearing is engraved on a bearing circle (duh), but
a mirror allows the reading on the compass card to be seen at the same
time...kind of floating beneath the target. The true/magnetic thing comes in
when the steering system itself is installed. Most small boats use magnetic
compasses just like the wet compass in the airplane; larger ships use
gyrocompasses which are set to true north. When plotting courses, the
navigator applies variation and deviation to come up with compass course. I
should have been more specific.

Bottom line, though, is that the Pilot/Controller Glossary defines "bearing"
as "to or from" any point.

BG

"Guillermo" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> On Aug 31, 7:38 am, Bob Moore > wrote:
>> Guillermo wrote
>>
>> > "Bob Gardner" > wrote:
>> >> Can I inject a little sanity to this thread? The AIM's
>> >> Pilot/Controller Glossary says that bearing is "The horizontal
>> >> direction to or from any point, usually measured clockwise from true
>> >> north, magnetic north, or some other reference point, through 360
>> >> degrees."
>> > That is incorrect, or to say it in a better way, partially correct.
>> > You are describing relative bearing.
>>
>> One would do well to avoid the attempt to correct Bob Gardner.
>>
>> Bob Moore
>> Graduate, Navy Navigation School
>
> The way you suppressed the text in the middle in my response is very
> misleading.
> The definition of bearing from the FAR/AIM is clearly correct.
> What I was pointing as incomplete is when Bob says that bearing does
> not apply to direction of travel, and talks about the traffic at 3 o
> clock. In that case the traffic is at 90 degrees relative bearing
> (relative to your direction of travel)
> But there IS ALSO a "bearing to a station" referenced to the magnetic
> north. If I am 10 miles out on the 235 radial of LAL VOR, then the
> bearing to LAL VOR would be 55 degrees, which is the direction of
> travel (referenced to the magnetic north), that you would need to
> travel to get to LAL.
>
> I am very aware that Bob Gardner is very knowledgeable in aviation.
> However, that doesn't make him a God who cannot make mistakes.
> If I believe somebody is mistaken, I will try to clarify what he was
> saying, I don't care who he/she is.
>
>
>
>

[Bob Gardner]

If I took a magnetic bearing to a lighthouse, buoy, or daymark and followed
that bearing, I would either hit the buoy or run aground. This reminds me of
the old joke "Captain: "What's your course, helmsman?" Helmsman: "Dead
ahead, sir!"

Bob

"Guillermo" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Aug 31, 2:11 am, Dallas > wrote:
>> On 30 Aug 2007 05:00:02 GMT, Allen Smith wrote:
>>
>> > Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
>> > lesson is scheduled for next week...
>>
>> First, Bob Gardner's post is very clear and correct.
>>
>
> So you are saying that there is not such thing as a magnetic bearing
> to a station, which is the direction of travel needed to go directly
> to a station (referenced to the magnetic north)?
>
>

[Roy Smith]

"Bob Gardner" > wrote:
> If I took a magnetic bearing to a lighthouse, buoy, or daymark and followed
> that bearing, I would either hit the buoy or run aground.

Only on a flat Earth :-)

> This reminds me of
> the old joke "Captain: "What's your course, helmsman?" Helmsman: "Dead
> ahead, sir!"

Another old joke:

It's a dark night and the lookout on a ship sees a light ahead. The
captain gets on the radio and calls, "Vessel located at XXX, alter your
course to starboard!".

The call comes back, "I'm sorry sir, you please alter your course".

This angers the captain, who yells into the radio, "Look here, I'm a
captain in the U. S. Navy and I order you to change your course to avoid
us!"

The response is, "Understood, sir. I'm a seaman third class, and suggest
you change your course".

The captain thunders, "I'm in command of a Battleship! Now alter your
course!!!"

The seaman third class responds, "Yes sir, I'm in command of a lighthouse".

[Matt Whiting]

Dudley Henriques wrote:

> Many new student pilots are confused by the many different terms used in
> the basic navigation glossary. Although mentioned and demonstrated
> every time instructors are dealing with this issue, many instructors
> fail to emphasize the single most important point for the student to
> understand.
> If this single point is EMPHASIZED early on in the learning curve, it
> can save a ton of confusion down the line as the student ponders basic
> navigation problems.
> That single fact that should be emphasized early on is that a heading is
> always corrected for wind! You can deal with the courses straight
> through the chain without a wind correction which can be very confusing
> to a new student.
> TC -+ Var= MC -+ Dev= CC Notice no wind correction there, but the
> student has to deal with wind.
> You insert a correction for wind anywhere in this chain and you change
> from dealing with courses to dealing with headings.
> TC-+ (WCA)= TH-+ Var= MH-+ Dev=CH
> It's the misuse of the term heading when dealing with charts where the
> term course is indicated that confuses many students. They fly a heading
> to make good a course so the whole problem is one of correcting a course
> on a chart through variation and deviation AND a wind correction to
> achieve a final compass HEADING.
> I don't know how many times I've seen something in print that reads like,
> "What is the heading of that runway?" or "what is the heading of that
> VOR radial?"
> It's VERY confusing for new students!!

And not always that clear even to old students. :-)

Matt

[Dallas]

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:29:06 -0700, Guillermo wrote:

> So you are saying that there is not such thing as a magnetic bearing
> to a station,

Actually, I'm guilty of trying to get into Allen Smith's head and sort
things out in a more logical manner for him.

He's lumped the terms "course" and "bearing" into the same basket and he's
trying to somehow link their definitions.

I was trying to draw the distinction for him that the term "course" is most
commonly found under the subject heading of dead reckoning and "bearing" is
found under the subject heading of instrument navigation. If he could
break them apart they would be easier to understand.


--
Dallas

[Dallas]

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:40:25 -0400, Dudley Henriques wrote:

> You insert a correction for wind anywhere in this chain and you change
> from dealing with courses to dealing with headings.
> TC-+ (WCA)= TH-+ Var= MH-+ Dev=CH

Ah... very nice. That subtlety did pass by me.

I did however notice that if the term contains "Magnetic" (MH & MC) the
correction for Magnetic Variation has been factored in.

--
Dallas

[Dudley Henriques[_2_]]

Dallas wrote:
> On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:40:25 -0400, Dudley Henriques wrote:
>
>> You insert a correction for wind anywhere in this chain and you change
>> from dealing with courses to dealing with headings.
>> TC-+ (WCA)= TH-+ Var= MH-+ Dev=CH
>
> Ah... very nice. That subtlety did pass by me.
>
> I did however notice that if the term contains "Magnetic" (MH & MC) the
> correction for Magnetic Variation has been factored in.
>
Sometimes pilots flying simple VFR will simply draw a line from A to B
paralleling a VOR radial on the chart as a shortcut. This starts you out
with a MC line instead of a TC line since the VOR is a MC already
corrected for Var. Then if you factor in the wind correction at that
point you get a MH...then the Deviation for a final CH for that leg.
After take off, you adjust the CH on observed winds aloft to maintain track.
This is called the " Good God Almighty, why the hell did they make me do
all those damn wind triangles anyway" method used by many newly
certificated commercial pilots......many on the way home from taking the
flight test :-)))

--
Dudley Henriques

[vincent norris]

Allen Smith wrote:
> Hey guys,
> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.
>
> So as far as I understand it, bearing is a referenced heading to
> somewhere you want to go, for example: I am flying on heading of 060
> heading and to and the VOR is on a 090 bearing (Heading of 090
> required to fly direct)
>
> Course is an intended flight line, so if I plan to fly from a to b
> (with a heading of 090 to b) My course throughout the flight would
> be 090, even if I am 30 miles off course, the course would be 090
> while the bearing would change, correct?
>
> Can somebody give me easy examples to understand? My next flight
> lesson is scheduled for next week...
>
You seem to be making it more complicated than it is.

"Course" (true or magnetic)is the direction you want to go, to get to
your destination.

"Track" is the direction you actually go. Because of winds or
inattention to the compass, it not be the same as your intended course.

"Bearing" is simply the direction from one point to another. It can be
expressed as magnetic, or true, or relative. You do NOT necessarily
want to go there.

For example, you may plan to fly a magnetic COURSE of 060 until Mount
Granite is exactly off your right wing --a relative bearing of 090-- at
a planned distance of ten miles; at that point you change your course to
080 magnetic, to fly directly to your destination.

vince norris

[Judah]

Allen Smith > wrote in
:

> Hey guys,
> I am a presolo guy, about 11 hours now and getting close to solo.
> While studying tonight I couldn\'t really figure out the difference
> between magnetic/true course and magnetic/true bearing.


Great news!

As you can see by the millions of diverse responses to this thread, nobody
really knows what the difference is, so don't sweat it!

Go solo!