Definition
The pilot task of monitoring the aircraft's position and progress along a planned route, ensuring the aircraft stays on the intended course and reaches each waypoint or fix as planned, regardless of whether navigation is being managed manually or by automation.
Plain English
Keeping an active eye on where the aircraft is, where it's going, and whether it's still following the route you planned.
Context Anchor
Seen when using moving-map displays, flight management systems, GPS navigation, or an autopilot that is following a selected route.
Derivation
Navigation comes from older words meaning to travel by ship. Tracking comes from the idea of following a trail or set of marks. Together, the phrase points to following a planned path, not just knowing where you are.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate navigation tracking prevents deviations that could result in airspace violations, missed waypoints, or loss of situational awareness.
Intuition Check
Do not read tracking as only watching a position on a screen. In this context, tracking means staying on, or guiding the airplane back to, the intended path.
Example Sentence 1
Even with the autopilot coupled to the GPS, the pilot continued navigation tracking by cross-checking each waypoint against the chart.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach, navigation tracking kept the aircraft aligned with the final course despite a crosswind.