Definition
The angle, measured clockwise from the nose of the aircraft to the line pointing directly at a non-directional beacon (NDB), as displayed by the Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) needle. It is expressed in degrees from 000° (straight ahead) through 360°, and is referenced to the aircraft's longitudinal axis, not to magnetic or true north.
Plain English
The number of degrees, measured clockwise from straight off the nose of your airplane, to the radio station the ADF is pointing at. If the needle points straight up, the station is dead ahead (000°). If it points to the right wing, the station is at 090° relative to you.
Context Anchor
Seen when using an ADF indication for instrument navigation, especially in figures or problems that ask you to relate aircraft heading, ADF needle position, and direction to the station.
Derivation
"Relative" comes from Latin relatus, meaning "carried back" or "referred to." Here it means the bearing is referred to the aircraft itself rather than to north. So the angle is relative to where the nose is pointing, not relative to a compass direction.
Why Pilots Care
It lets you determine the direction to the beacon relative to your current heading so you can turn toward or away from the station without first converting to a magnetic bearing.
Analogy
It is like saying a person is at your 2 o’clock position. That direction only makes sense compared with where you are facing.
Intuition Check
Do not read “relative bearing” as a chart direction by itself. It is measured from the aircraft’s nose, not from magnetic north.
Example Sentence 1
With the ADF needle showing a relative bearing of 045°, the NDB lies 45 degrees to the right of the aircraft's nose.
Example Sentence 2
With a relative bearing of 180 degrees the beacon was directly behind us, confirming we had passed the station.