Given specific flight conditions, what is the compass heading for a trip with a true course of 050 and wind from 280 degrees at 20 knots?

To determine the correct compass heading in this scenario, consider the impact of wind on the aircraft's flight path. The true course is given as 050 degrees, which is the intended direction of travel based on the Earth’s geographic coordinate system. However, wind can significantly affect how the aircraft behaves in the air.

With wind coming from 280 degrees at 20 knots, it means the wind is blowing towards the southeast. This crosswind will push the aircraft off its intended course of 050 degrees. To counteract the wind and stay on course, the pilot needs to fly a heading that compensates for the wind's effect.

When correcting for wind, the pilot must determine an appropriate heading that aligns the aircraft's track over the ground with the desired true course. In this case, flying at a heading of 030 degrees accounts for the wind pushing from the west (280 degrees) and effectively allows the aircraft to maintain its intended true course of 050 degrees.

Compensating for the wind involves tilting the aircraft slightly into the wind (to the left in this case) to counteract the drift caused by the crosswind. The result of this adjustment leads to a compass heading of 030 degrees to maintain the desired course.

Understanding this concept