Definition
The intended horizontal direction of flight over the ground, measured in degrees clockwise from true north (the geographic north pole), as drawn between two points on an aeronautical chart.
Plain English
The direction you plan to fly across the ground, measured from the real north pole rather than from magnetic north.
Context Anchor
Seen during flight planning and chart work when a pilot measures the planned route direction before adjusting for wind or compass use.
Derivation
‘True’ here means ‘referenced to true north’ — the actual geographic pole — as opposed to magnetic north, which is a different point and shifts over time. ‘Course’ comes from the Latin cursus, meaning ‘a running’ or ‘path travelled.’ Together: the path you intend to travel, measured against the real north.
Why Pilots Care
Required for accurate flight planning because magnetic variation changes the heading needed to follow the same ground track.
Intuition Check
True does not mean “best route” or “correct route” here. It means the course is measured from true north, the earth’s geographic north reference.
Example Sentence 1
After drawing the line from the departure airport to the destination, the pilot measured a true course of 087 degrees against the nearest meridian.
Example Sentence 2
True course on the flight log read 180, so the heading was adjusted 12 degrees right for variation and wind.