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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:26:44 AM EDT
like the title says, I'm having a hard time sorting the meaning of those three out
I've found a few websites with some definitions, but nothing that has been seriously helpful or that has explanations that are easy to understand Maybe I'm doing something wrong. or maybe I'm trying to learn while I'm a little hungover 
make this make sense! |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:40:10 AM EDT
[#1]
you're headed for trouble of course if you don't maintain your military bearing...
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:42:27 AM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
you're headed for trouble of course if you don't maintain your military bearing... oh my god it all makes sense now!
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:43:20 AM EDT
[#3]
course: the direction you should be going
heading: the direction you're actually going bearing: the direction something is from you *direction being compass heading |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:43:41 AM EDT
[#4]
I'll answer them as they apply to aircraft navigation.
Course is an imaginary line drawn between your origin and destination. Bearing is your direction of travel relative to true north or magnetic north, measured in degrees. Heading is the direction the nose of your aircraft is pointing, which may differ from bearing. Cross track error (XTE) is your deviation from the ground track that most closely matches your course. The lubber line is found at the top of your HSI or BDHI and is directly above your current heading on the compass card. Want to know the difference between Indicated, True, and Calibrated Airspeed? I could go on... ETA: Bearing can be the angle between you and another object or waypoint as well, but it is always measured in degrees. |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:43:48 AM EDT
[#5]
Course is your intended route or path of travel.
Heading is just the direction you're pointing at any given time. NNE, 162°, etc. Bearing is the compass reading from one waypoint to another. Your course may consist of multiple waypoints, and you would have a bearing to follow between each one. |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:43:58 AM EDT
[#6]
A course is where you're going.
Bearing is the direction to a station, if you fly a constant bearing you will have to correct for the wind (otherwise you are homing on a station). Heading is the compass direction the aircraft is flying at the time. |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:44:10 AM EDT
[#7]
In most navigation usage...
"Course" usually implies your INTENDED route of travel. "Heading" is your actual compass heading. Remember to adjust for magnetic variation as follows: "East is least and west is best." Also remember that you should always carry both a compass and a signal mirror for land navigation on foot. The compass is to tell you that you are lost, and the mirror is to tell you WHO is lost.
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:45:23 AM EDT
[#8]
Course is what you think you are on, bearing is where you are REALLY going, and heading is what you are on when you ram something when off course.
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:46:37 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted: The compass is to tell you that you are lost, and the mirror is to tell you WHO is lost.  |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:47:29 AM EDT
[#10]
Say you want to fly a course of 180 degrees (due south). In a dead calm, course and heading would be the same. Heading is the direction you are pointed.
However, if there is a cross wind, say from the east, you will need to adjust your heading into the wind to maintain the desired course. Thus, your heading will be something less than 180. In that same situation, if you maintained a heading of 180, your actual course would be greater than 180 as the wind blows you westward. |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:50:23 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
In most navigation usage... "Course" usually implies your INTENDED route of travel. "Heading" is your actual compass heading. Remember to adjust for magnetic variation as follows: "East is least and west is best." Also remember that you should always carry both a compass and a signal mirror for land navigation on foot. The compass is to tell you that you are lost, and the mirror is to tell you WHO is lost. east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting 
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:50:40 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Course is what you think you are on, bearing is where you are REALLY going, and heading is what you are on when you ram something when off course. did you say ram something? 
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:51:00 AM EDT
[#13]
CBDR?
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:51:23 AM EDT
[#14]
In aeronautical terms, course is the path the plane is traveling across the ground. Heading is the direction the plane is pointing. It will most often be different than the course due to the affects of the wind. Bearing is the actual direction to the desired destination. For example, if your destination is due east of your location, it's bearing would be 090 degrees. If the wind is blowing from the north, you would have to calculate a heading slightly northward, such as 085 degrees in order for the wind to carry you on your desired course of 090.
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:51:27 AM EDT
[#15]
Course: your track over the ground
Heading: the direction your nose is pointed Bearing: direction between you and another point |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 8:55:30 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
Quoted:
In most navigation usage... "Course" usually implies your INTENDED route of travel. "Heading" is your actual compass heading. Remember to adjust for magnetic variation as follows: "East is least and west is best." Also remember that you should always carry both a compass and a signal mirror for land navigation on foot. The compass is to tell you that you are lost, and the mirror is to tell you WHO is lost. east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting
he's taking about adjusting for compass variation when you navigate, subtract east add west. if the variation is east it's subtracted, if it' west it's added. 2 books you should own if you want to learn more about navigation. the first is "the american practical navigator" by nathaniel bowdish (generally just referrd to as "bowditch" because it say "BOWDITCH" in huge letters down the spine. the other book is duttons nautical navigation. |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:00:39 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting
There is a difference between magnetic and true north. Around St. Louis (IIRC) the difference is minimal, but as you move east or west from there the difference gets larger. Where I am, there is about 4 degrees of difference and the true line is East of me. Therefore, if I have a true course and want to convert it to magnetic I subtract 4 degrees. East is least, so subtract the difference to go from true to magnetic. West is best, so add the difference to your true course to get magnetic. Have some fun with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:03:50 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Quoted:
In most navigation usage... "Course" usually implies your INTENDED route of travel. "Heading" is your actual compass heading. Remember to adjust for magnetic variation as follows: "East is least and west is best." Also remember that you should always carry both a compass and a signal mirror for land navigation on foot. The compass is to tell you that you are lost, and the mirror is to tell you WHO is lost. east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting
Only Odd People Fly East |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:03:59 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
Quoted:
east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting
There is a difference between magnetic and true north. Around St. Louis (IIRC) the difference is minimal, but as you move east or west from there the difference gets larger. Where I am, there is about 4 degrees of difference and the true line is East of me. Therefore, if I have a true course and want to convert it to magnetic I subtract 4 degrees. East is least, so subtract the difference to go from true to magnetic. West is best, so add the difference to your true course to get magnetic. Have some fun with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination The animated map on that page is kinda cool... 
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:15:14 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting There is a difference between magnetic and true north. Around St. Louis (IIRC) the difference is minimal, but as you move east or west from there the difference gets larger. Where I am, there is about 4 degrees of difference and the true line is East of me. Therefore, if I have a true course and want to convert it to magnetic I subtract 4 degrees. East is least, so subtract the difference to go from true to magnetic. West is best, so add the difference to your true course to get magnetic. Have some fun with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination The animated map on that page is kinda cool... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Earth_Magnetic_Field_Declination_from_1590_to_1990.gif This causes numbers to be re=painted on runways!!! |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:22:15 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
east is least and west is best? can you explain that? The more I learn about navigation the more confused i'm getting
There is a difference between magnetic and true north. Around St. Louis (IIRC) the difference is minimal, but as you move east or west from there the difference gets larger. Where I am, there is about 4 degrees of difference and the true line is East of me. Therefore, if I have a true course and want to convert it to magnetic I subtract 4 degrees. East is least, so subtract the difference to go from true to magnetic. West is best, so add the difference to your true course to get magnetic. hawaiinate, thanks for the books. Going to order them shortly Have some fun with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_declination The animated map on that page is kinda cool... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Earth_Magnetic_Field_Declination_from_1590_to_1990.gif I had no idea the declination changed over time. I vaguely knew about having to adjust for true north, but never that it changed like that |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:22:46 AM EDT
[#22]
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:30:15 AM EDT
[#23]
so wait, how do you determine bearing (to the object) if you cannot see the object? or is this something you can lookup and plot on a map? |
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Posted: 1/29/2012 9:33:16 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted: Yes, or you use navaids (GPS, INS) or radio navaids like VOR, ADF, LORAN (not anymore) TACAN (for military) etc. so wait, how do you determine bearing (to the object) if you cannot see the object? or is this something you can lookup and plot on a map? |
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