True Course vs. True Heading in Flight
Learn the difference between true course and true heading, how wind correction works, and why pilots convert true values to magnetic.
True course and true heading are easy to mix up because both are measured in degrees from true north. The difference is simple once you separate the map from the airplane.
True course is the path you want to travel over the ground. True heading is where the nose must point to make that path happen.
Wind is the reason they are often different.
True Course
True course is a line on the chart. If you draw a straight route from one checkpoint to the next and measure that line against true north, you have the true course.
It is the desired track over the ground. It does not care where the airplane's nose is pointing. It only describes the path you want the airplane to follow across the earth.
In old-school navigation planning, you draw the course line, measure it with a plotter, and write the true course in the navigation log.
True Heading
True heading is where the airplane's nose points, referenced to true north.
If there were no wind, true heading and true course could be the same. But there is almost always wind. A crosswind pushes the airplane sideways, so you must point the nose slightly into the wind to maintain the desired ground track.
That correction creates a difference between true course and true heading.
The Boat Analogy
Imagine crossing a river in a boat. Your course is the straight line from your side of the river to the point you want on the opposite bank. If the river flow is moving left to right, aiming straight at the point will let the flow push you downstream.
To arrive where you intend, you point the boat upstream. The boat's heading differs from the course, but the track over the water takes you to the correct point.
Airplanes work the same way in wind.
Wind Correction Angle
The angle between your desired course and the heading you must fly is the wind correction angle. A stronger crosswind or slower aircraft usually requires more correction. A direct headwind or tailwind may require little or no heading correction for drift.
The larger the crosswind component, the more the nose must be pointed into the wind.
During training, you may calculate this with an E6B, electronic flight computer, nav log, or approved planning app. The math method matters less than understanding what the correction means.
True, Magnetic, and What You Actually Fly
Flight planning often begins with true course because charts are based on true north. But cockpit heading instruments usually reference magnetic north.
That means you normally move through a sequence:
- Measure true course.
- Apply wind correction to get true heading.
- Apply magnetic variation to get magnetic heading.
- Apply compass deviation if using a magnetic compass directly.
This is why a navigation log has several heading columns. Each correction answers a different question.
Why Student Pilots Need This
If you do not understand course and heading, cross-country planning becomes memorized arithmetic instead of navigation.
The airplane can be pointed one way and moving another way. That is normal. What matters is whether your ground track is taking you where you planned.
In flight, compare landmarks, GPS track if available, heading, and groundspeed. If you are drifting off course, correct early. Do not wait until you are miles away from the planned route.
Practical Example
Suppose your true course is 090 degrees, due east. The wind is from the south. That wind will push you north of course if you point directly east.
To hold the eastbound course, you need to point the nose slightly south of east. Your true heading might be 095 or 100 degrees depending on wind speed and aircraft speed.
The exact number comes from the wind correction calculation. The concept is the important part: heading is adjusted so the course over the ground stays correct.
The Simple Memory Aid
Course is the road you want to follow. Heading is where you point the nose to stay on that road.
When you practice cross-country planning, say the words out loud as you work the nav log. "This line is my true course. The wind correction gives me true heading. Variation moves me to magnetic heading." That short verbal habit keeps the columns from becoming a blur of numbers.
In flight, check whether the airplane is doing what the plan predicted. If your heading is correct but the landmarks are sliding off to one side, the wind correction may be wrong or the wind may have changed. Good navigation is not just planning the first answer. It is noticing when reality disagrees and making a calm correction.
Once that is clear, the rest of navigation planning makes more sense.
Related Reading
Official References
Need help applying this to your training?
Use this guide as a starting point, then bring the confusing parts to a focused ground lesson. Diego works with Louisville-area and remote students on FAA knowledge, oral-prep, and practical training decisions.
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