Definition
The sideways movement of an airplane over the ground caused by a crosswind component acting on the aircraft while in flight. Drift is the difference between the airplane's heading (the direction it is pointed) and its track (the actual path it makes across the ground).
Plain English
When the wind pushes the airplane sideways so that it travels across the ground in a different direction than its nose is pointing, that sideways push is drift.
Context Anchor
Seen when controlling ground track during takeoffs, landings, and ground reference maneuvers, especially when wind is present.
Derivation
From the Old English 'drifan,' meaning to drive or push along. The word originally described something being carried by a current of water or wind. In aviation, it keeps that core idea: the airplane is being carried sideways by the moving air it flies through.
Why Pilots Care
Uncorrected drift produces navigation errors and can place the aircraft on an unsafe path during approach or enroute flight.
Grounding Statement
On a windy day, an airplane can be flying straight through the air while its shadow moves sideways across the ground.
Intuition Check
Drift does not mean the airplane is skidding sideways through the air. In this context, it means the airplane’s path over the ground is being moved sideways by the wind.
Example Sentence 1
With a strong wind from the left, the pilot turned the nose slightly into the wind to correct for drift and stay aligned with the road below.
Example Sentence 2
During the cross-country leg the strong westerly wind caused constant drift that required a steady five-degree correction angle.