Heading describes which of the following?

• A. The angle or direction at which one is pointing.
• B. The direction at which you are traveling.
• C. The angle relative to the distance of travel.
• D. The direction to the geographic North Pole.

Answer: (A)

Heading is the orientation of the aircraft's nose—the angle or bearing from a reference north that the aircraft is pointing. It defines the direction the aircraft is facing, not necessarily the path it follows, since winds or currents can push the vehicle off its pointing direction. This makes it the best match for describing the direction one is pointing.

The other ideas describe different notions: the direction you are moving over the ground is the course or ground track, not the heading; an angle related to distance traveled isn’t how heading is defined; and pointing toward the geographic North Pole is a specific reference direction, not the general concept of heading.