Definition
The horizontal direction from an aircraft to or from a fixed point (such as an NDB station), measured in degrees clockwise from magnetic north.
Plain English
The compass direction, measured against magnetic north, of a straight line drawn from the aircraft to a station on the ground (or from the station to the aircraft).
Context Anchor
Seen in NDB navigation when determining the direction to the radio beacon or the direction from the beacon to the aircraft.
Derivation
From 'magnetic' (relating to the Earth's magnetic field) and 'bearing' (from Old English 'beran,' to carry or direct). A bearing 'carries' the eye in a particular direction. 'Magnetic' specifies that the direction is measured from magnetic north rather than true north.
Why Pilots Care
Provides the direct magnetic direction needed to track to or from an NDB without first applying magnetic variation.
Intuition Check
Bearing does not mean a mechanical bearing or a person’s manner here. In navigation, a bearing is a direction, and magnetic means that direction is measured from magnetic north, not true north.
Example Sentence 1
The chart showed a magnetic bearing of 045° from the NDB, so the pilot tracked outbound on that line.
Example Sentence 2
With the NDB directly ahead the magnetic bearing read 360 and the aircraft was established on the final approach segment.