Definition
The procedure of using direction-finding equipment in the aircraft to fly toward a station that transmits a signal, by continuously keeping the aircraft heading pointed at that station.
Plain English
Flying straight toward a radio station by using onboard equipment that always tells you which way the station is, and steering so the nose stays pointed at it.
Context Anchor
You may see this term in radio navigation, search and rescue, and direction-finding discussions.
Derivation
From the idea of a homing pigeon — an animal that finds its way directly back to a fixed point. In aviation it carries the same sense: the aircraft is steered so it travels directly toward a chosen station.
Why Pilots Care
Lets a pilot reach a beacon or another aircraft without visual references, especially useful in low visibility or over water.
Analogy
It is like walking toward a sound in the fog: you keep turning toward where the sound seems to come from until you reach it.
Intuition Check
Homing does not mean returning to your home airport. Here it means steering continuously toward a radio signal source.
Example Sentence 1
With the ADF needle pointing straight ahead, the pilot was homing toward the non-directional beacon.
Example Sentence 2
During the search, the crew used homing to locate the emergency locator transmitter signal.