Definition
The magnetic compass heading along which a runway is aligned, expressed as the first two digits of the runway's compass bearing rounded to the nearest 10 degrees. A runway numbered 27 points toward a magnetic heading of approximately 270 degrees (west); runway 09 points toward approximately 090 degrees (east).
Plain English
The compass direction the runway is pointing. The number painted on the runway is its heading shortened to two digits — runway 18 points south (180 degrees), runway 36 points north (360 degrees).
Context Anchor
Used during takeoff, liftoff, and the first part of the climb, especially when correcting for wind and keeping the airplane aligned with the runway centerline.
Derivation
“Runway” means the prepared way an aircraft runs on for takeoff or landing. “Direction” comes from an older word meaning to guide or set straight. Together, the phrase points to the straight path the runway is guiding you along.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots use runway direction to choose the correct runway for wind alignment, calculate crosswind components, and set the heading indicator before departure.
Intuition Check
Do not assume runway direction means wherever the airplane’s nose happens to point. With wind, the nose may be slightly angled, but the airplane should still track along the runway’s straight path.
Example Sentence 1
With the wind from 280 degrees at 10 knots, the pilot selected runway 27 because the runway direction matched the wind almost exactly.
Example Sentence 2
With a runway direction of 27, the aircraft departed heading west into the headwind.