What’s Heading? What’s Track?

Reference: HKUSPACE Course

Heading?

Ans: Heading (HDG) refers to the direction in which the aircraft is pointing.

Track? (= Track Required, TR)

Ans: Direction over the ground in which the aircraft is required to travel

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10 *** Important: Drift is NOT the Track Error.

Drift is the difference between heading and track made good, whereas track error is the difference between flight planned track (or track required)
and track made good.

Track Made Good (TMG) – The actual direction of travel of the aircraft over the ground. Measured and indicated in the same way as the track.

Track Error (TE) – The angular difference between the track made good and the track required. Measured in degrees and nominated as either left (port) or right (starboard) depending on whether the track made good is left (port) or right (starboard) of the track or track required, i.e., left when the track made good is diverging to the left of track required and right when track made good is diverging to the right of track required.

Drift – The effect of the wind (i.e., the difference between where the aircraft is pointing and where it is going) or, the angular difference between the heading and the track made good. Measured in degrees and nominated as either left (port) or right (starboard) depending on whether the track made good is left or right of the heading.

Notes: HDG shown in plotting as a single-headed arrow ; TR and TMG shown in plotting as a double-headed arrow (but TR is NOT TMG!!!)