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In navigation, the heading of a vessel or aircraft is the compass direction in which the craft's bow or nose is pointed. Note that the heading may not necessarily be the direction that the vehicle actually travels, which is known as its course .
In aircraft navigation, an angle is normally measured from the aircraft's track or heading, in a clockwise direction. If the aircraft encounters a target that is not ahead of the aircraft and not on an identical track, then the angular bearing to that target is called a relative bearing. [clarification needed]
The course is to be distinguished from the heading, which is the direction where the watercraft's bow or the aircraft's nose is pointed. [1] [2] [3] [page needed] The path that a vessel follows is called a track or, in the case of aircraft, ground track (also known as course made good or course over the ground). [1] The intended track is a route.
Heading angle σ: angle between north and the horizontal component of the velocity vector, which describes which direction the aircraft is moving relative to cardinal directions. Flight path angle γ: is the angle between horizontal and the velocity vector, which describes whether the aircraft is climbing or descending.
Heading, elevation and bank angles (Z-Y’-X’’) for an aircraft. The aircraft's pitch and yaw axes Y and Z are not shown, and its fixed reference frame xyz has been shifted backwards from its center of gravity (preserving angles) for clarity. Axes named according to the air norm DIN 9300
In World War II aircraft pilots needed a quick method of communicating the relative position of threats, for which the clock system was ideal. The gunners of a bomber, or the other aircraft in the squadron, had to be kept informed for purposes of immediate response. However, in aviation, a clock position refers to a horizontal direction.
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Adjustment of an aircraft's heading to compensate for wind component perpendicular to the ground track. The first step in navigation is deciding where one wishes to go. A private pilot planning a flight under VFR will usually use an aeronautical chart of the area which is published specifically for the use of pilots.