Bearing and Course, differences?

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