Definition
A VOR navigation procedure in which the pilot keeps the aircraft on a selected course directly toward (TO) or directly away from (FROM) a VOR ground station by centering the course deviation indicator (CDI) and applying small heading corrections for wind. The pilot selects the desired course on the omnibearing selector (OBS); the TO/FROM indicator confirms whether that course leads to the station or away from it, and the CDI shows displacement left or right of that course. Tracking is maintained by turning into the side of the needle to re-center it, then establishing a wind correction angle that holds the CDI centered over time.
Plain English
Flying a straight line either toward a VOR ground station or directly away from it, using the cockpit instrument to keep the aircraft on that line. The needle tells the pilot if they are drifting off course, and small heading changes correct for wind so the line stays straight.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flying when using ground-based navigation signals, especially during practice with course needles, TO/FROM indications, and wind correction.
Derivation
"Track" comes from Old French trac, meaning a path or trail. In aviation it became the word for the actual path the aircraft follows over the ground, as opposed to the heading the nose is pointed. "TO" and "FROM" describe the direction of travel relative to the station -- inbound to it or outbound from it.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate tracking prevents drifting off course, reduces workload in instrument conditions, and ensures the aircraft reaches the station or proceeds outbound on the planned route.
Analogy
Think of a road that passes through a town. You can drive on the same road toward the town or away from it; the road is the course, and the town is like the station.
Grounding Statement
Picture a straight line passing through a fixed radio point on the ground: tracking TO follows that line toward the point, and tracking FROM follows it away from the point.
Intuition Check
TO and FROM do not simply mean the airplane is pointed toward or away from the station. They refer to whether the selected course, if followed correctly, will take the aircraft to the station or away from it.
Example Sentence 1
After passing the VOR, the pilot reset the OBS to the outbound course and began tracking FROM the station on the 270 radial.
Example Sentence 2
After passing the station the pilot reversed course and began tracking from the station on the 090 radial while correcting for a left crosswind.