Navigation

Whether we’re in a car, boat, train, or plane, we need to know where we’re going. A compass can show us what direction we’re traveling in: North, South, East, or West.

Compasses work because the earth acts like a giant magnet. The needle of a compass always points North.

In aviation, we need more precise measurements than north, east, south, and west. So a system of degrees has been added. This is called azimuthal notation. The compass circle contains 360 degrees, assigned as follows.

When pilots state their heading, they will say the number of the degree in which they’re traveling.

Let’s practice.

List the degrees associated with the directions:

1.	NNE	________________________________
2.	WSW	________________________________
3.	S	________________________________
4.	NW	________________________________

Now list the directions associated with the degrees:

5.	45°	________________________________
6.	0°	________________________________
7.	270°	________________________________
8.	135°	________________________________

Next