Track v.s. Heading
Bill Glaze
billglaze at triad.rr.com
Mon Jun 6 17:21:48 AKDT 2005
Don:
Very lucid explanation. Anything I can do to help try to correct it,
I'll do. Just let me know. Bill Glaze
Don Ramsey wrote:
> OK, here's my thoughts on heading and track. They are very different
> terms. Track is the path of the model over the ground. Heading is
> the direction the nose is pointed. With no wind, heading and track
> are the same. The downgrades for some turnaround maneuvers are
> absolutely incorrect when there is the statement, "Model heading does
> not finish exactly opposite direction of entry."
>
> Let's take an example:
> Say the course parallel to the flight line is north-south (360 or 180
> degrees). Assume the 180 degree heading is from left to right. With
> no wind, if the model is flying parallel to the flight line the
> heading and track will be 180 degrees from left to right. Now assume
> an in blowing wind that requires a 15 degree correction to maintain a
> path parallel to the flightline. Remember the track of the model must
> be wind corrected to track parallel to the judges. The heading is now
> 165 degrees but the track is 180 degrees. The model is crabbed into
> the wind 15 degrees with the wings level as required by our regs and
> the nose is pointed away from the pilot. Now assume you do a half
> loop as a turnaround. The opposite heading to 165 degrees is 345
> degrees. And that heading points the model into the flightline not
> away as would be required for wind correction. How many judges would
> award a perfect score if the model was pointed into the flightline
> when an opposite correction was required? These mis-stated downgrades
> in the regulations have been ignored for years (at least I hope they
> have). Substitute track for heading and the model is now required to
> exit the half loop on an exact opposite track. In other words,
> parallel to the flightline entering the maneuver and parallel to the
> flightline on exit.
>
> Don
>
> PS: On all modern jetliners the NAV display has pointers for both
> heading and track and they are seldom the same in the air.
>
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