Definition
A change in the direction the airplane's nose is pointing, measured in degrees of compass heading, accomplished by rolling into a bank and turning the aircraft from one heading to another.
Plain English
Turning the airplane so it points in a new direction, measured by how many degrees the heading shifts from where it started to where it ends up.
Context Anchor
Used in ground reference maneuvers such as S-turns, where the pilot watches how the airplane’s direction changes while turning across a road or other reference line.
Derivation
Heading comes from the idea of where the head or front of something is pointed. In aviation, it means the compass direction the airplane’s nose is pointed, so a heading change is a change in that nose direction.
Why Pilots Care
Precise heading changes allow the pilot to counteract wind drift and follow the intended ground path.
Intuition Check
A heading change is not just any movement across the ground. It specifically means the airplane’s nose direction has changed from one compass direction to another.
Example Sentence 1
During the S-turn, the pilot planned a 180-degree heading change across the road, adjusting bank angle to compensate for the wind.
Example Sentence 2
After completing the turn, a heading change back to the original direction keeps the ground track straight.