Definition
The angle, measured from the aircraft's intended track, by which the heading is offset into the wind to compensate for the wind's sideways push and maintain the desired ground track.
Plain English
How far you point the nose into the wind so the airplane actually travels along the line you intended, instead of being blown sideways off course.
Context Anchor
Used during instrument flying when holding a course, tracking to or from a navigation aid, or flying a DME arc where wind can push the airplane inside or outside the intended path.
Derivation
Drift' here means being pushed sideways by the wind — the same sense as a boat drifting in a current. The 'correction angle' is the amount you turn into the wind to cancel that drift.
Why Pilots Care
Correct application keeps the aircraft on the prescribed arc, avoiding deviations that can result in missed segments or airspace incursions.
Analogy
Like aiming a rowboat slightly upstream so the current carries you straight across the river instead of downstream.
Intuition Check
Do not think of this as simply turning toward the destination. It is a deliberate small angle into the wind so the airplane’s path over the ground stays where you want it.
Example Sentence 1
Flying the DME arc with a strong crosswind, she applied a wind-drift correction angle of about 10 degrees into the wind to stay on the arc.
Example Sentence 2
Without the proper wind-drift correction angle the aircraft drifted inside the arc and the approach had to be discontinued.