Definition
In VOR navigation, courses are the 360 magnetic directional lines (radials) that radiate outward from a VOR station, used by pilots to navigate to or from the station along a specific track over the ground.
Plain English
A course is the path you fly across the ground, defined as a specific direction measured in degrees from a VOR station. There are 360 of them around every VOR, one for each compass direction.
Context Anchor
Seen when setting, intercepting, or tracking a VOR course during instrument navigation.
Derivation
From the Latin 'cursus,' meaning a running, path, or way. In navigation, it has long meant the intended path of travel. The aviation use keeps that core idea: the line you intend to follow across the ground.
Why Pilots Care
Selecting and holding the correct course keeps the aircraft on the intended route, prevents drift, and supports safe instrument navigation.
Intuition Check
Do not treat courses as classroom lessons here. In this VOR context, courses are flight paths measured by direction, not training classes.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot selected the 270 course on the OBS to track inbound to the VOR from the east.
Example Sentence 2
Inbound courses are flown by selecting the reciprocal radial and monitoring the CDI for left or right corrections.