Basic navigation, timing and fuel calculations
Navigation connects a known position, intended track, aircraft motion and a consistent reference system. Begin by identifying whether the question gives a course, heading, bearing or ground track. True, magnetic and compass references are related but distinct. A familiar numerical value is not enough to know which correction applies.
Direction and wind
True directions use geographic north; magnetic directions use the local magnetic reference. Variation relates those references, while deviation describes the compass error associated with the aircraft and its installation. A wind correction addresses drift and is a different adjustment. State the sign convention explicitly instead of combining all corrections into one unexplained number.
Wind direction describes where the wind comes from. A crosswind from the left pushes the aircraft right in the simple model, so maintaining a desired track requires an appropriate into-wind heading correction. A given heading with crosswind is not the same problem as finding the heading needed for a given track. Use the actual stated speeds and model rather than a rule that every helicopter has one identical drift angle.
Time, distance and fuel
A knot is a nautical mile per hour. Divide distance by groundspeed to find time and convert minutes consistently. Fuel for a leg depends on the supplied consumption rate and time, with additional required planning elements considered separately. A result excluding reserves must not be described as the complete legal or operational fuel requirement.
For a supplied constant-rate exercise, multiply gallons per hour by hours, not minutes. If the exercise supplies a reserve duration, add the fuel for that duration using the applicable rate and assumptions. Actual operations also require current conditions, aircraft data, usable fuel, required reserves and other applicable planning factors. A mathematical result cannot establish that a flight remains safe after conditions change.
Position checks and information
Pilotage uses visual landmarks and charted features. Dead reckoning estimates motion from known information and needs updates because errors accumulate. Select checkpoints that can be identified reliably without creating a distraction or routing into hazards. A line feature can aid orientation while wires, towers and terrain remain significant risks.
Radio and satellite aids have different information and integrity limits. A VOR radial extends from the station; the instrument presentation and selected course affect interpretation. A plausible GPS position is not proof of integrity, coverage or operational approval. Use current charts, notices and the actual equipment documentation. This theory chapter does not grant controlled-airspace entry or authorize a low-level route.