Definition
The piloting skill of correcting for the sideways push of wind so the airplane follows the intended path over the ground rather than the path it would take through the air alone. The pilot detects drift caused by crosswind and adjusts the airplane's heading into the wind by the amount needed to make the actual ground track match the desired one.
Plain English
Wind blowing from the side pushes the airplane sideways while it flies. Drift and ground track control is the act of noticing that sideways push and turning the nose slightly into the wind so the airplane still travels along the line you wanted over the ground.
Context Anchor
Seen in ground reference maneuvers, traffic pattern work, and any flight where the pilot must follow a road, runway, course line, or planned path over the ground.
Derivation
Drift' comes from the Old English driftan, meaning to be carried along by a current. 'Ground track' is simply the path traced on the ground beneath the airplane. Together the phrase names exactly what the pilot is managing -- the airplane's tendency to be carried sideways, and the line it actually draws across the ground.
Why Pilots Care
Without it the airplane will not follow the planned route or land on the runway centerline, increasing workload and risk.
Grounding Statement
If the wind is blowing from the side, the airplane may need to point slightly into the wind to keep its actual path over the ground straight.
Intuition Check
Drift does not mean the airplane is out of control; it means the wind is moving the airplane sideways over the ground. Ground track is not where the nose points; it is the path the airplane actually follows across the surface.
Example Sentence 1
During the ground reference maneuvers lesson, the instructor had the student practice drift and ground track control by flying a rectangular course around a field in a steady crosswind.
Example Sentence 2
During final approach the student used drift and ground track control to stay aligned with the runway despite a steady crosswind.