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#1
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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 |
#2
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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#3
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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. |
#4
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
"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 |
#6
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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. |
#7
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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. |
#8
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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. |
#9
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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 |
#10
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Track, Bearing, Course, Heading
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