Navigation - General Navigation
General Navigation
This domain tests chart work, latitude and longitude, track and heading, wind triangle, drift, ETA and fuel monitoring. The exam expects you to convert between true, magnetic and compass directions correctly and to solve simple wind problems.
Core rules
- Track and heading: track is the path over the ground; heading is where the nose points. Wind causes drift, so heading differs from track by the wind correction angle.
- Conversions: true course ± variation = magnetic; magnetic ± deviation = compass. In Canada, easterly variation is subtracted when converting true to magnetic (“east is least”).
- Wind triangle: crosswind component determines drift; headwind/tailwind component changes ground speed. Use TAS, not IAS, for the triangle.
- Time: ETA = distance ÷ ground speed. Use 60/1 or a flight computer for quick mental work.
- Charts: check scale, airspace, terrain and magnetic variation; do not measure true track and then fly it as a magnetic heading.
Worked example
True course 000°, TAS 120 kt, wind 270°/30 kt. The wind is from the left, so drift is to the right. Wind correction angle = arcsin(30 ÷ 120) ≈ 14.5°, so steer about 015° true. Ground speed ≈ 120 × cos 14.5° ≈ 116 kt. For a 116 NM leg, ETA is about 1 hour. If variation is 10°E, the magnetic heading is about 005°M.
Traps that cost marks
Applying variation in the wrong direction, using IAS instead of TAS, and forgetting that wind direction is reported from, not toward, are common. Also check that chart distances are in nautical miles, not statute miles.