Definition
The direction the nose of the aircraft is pointing, measured in degrees clockwise from magnetic north (000° through 359°). It is the heading read directly from the magnetic compass or heading indicator after it has been aligned with the compass.
Plain English
The way the aircraft's nose is pointing, measured against magnetic north rather than true north. If the compass reads 270, the nose is pointing magnetic west.
Context Anchor
Seen in NDB navigation when the pilot uses the airplane’s heading to work out where the radio beacon lies relative to the airplane.
Derivation
Magnetic refers to Earth's magnetic field, which the compass aligns with. Heading comes from the direction the aircraft's head (nose) is pointing. So magnetic heading literally means the direction the nose is pointing relative to magnetic north.
Why Pilots Care
Correct magnetic heading prevents navigation errors when using magnetic instruments and accounts for local magnetic variation.
Intuition Check
Do not assume heading means the exact path the airplane is moving over the ground; wind can make the path different. Magnetic means the direction is measured from magnetic north, not geographic north.
Example Sentence 1
ATC instructed the pilot to fly a magnetic heading of 090 to intercept the final approach course.
Example Sentence 2
In the NDB procedure, the magnetic heading was adjusted to compensate for wind drift.