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Difference Between Course and Heading?
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Linux_User
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 3:29 pm
Posts: 7173
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Can someone please explain to me (in Layman's terms) the difference between Course and Heading? I tried Google, but it wasn't useful.
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| Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:28 pm |
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ProfessorF
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:56 pm
Posts: 12030
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I can ask my father when I see him, he spent a few years in the merchant navy, but I think a heading is simply your direction of travel, whereas the course would be the your intended movements. It's a bit like if you're driving from A to B, you could be heading East (your heading) but you're going via the A303, then the M3 (your course). I think.
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| Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:39 pm |
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big_D
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:25 pm
Posts: 10691
Location: Bramsche
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The course is where you want to go (for example due North), but if you are sailing or flying, you probably cannot go due North, you have to take things like wind and current into account, so your either adjust your heading (direction) so that you will make your course, or when sailing (sails), you will generally zig-zag, constantly changing your heading to sail either side of the wind - a sail boat cannot sail closer than about 45° to the wind (leaning over and "pinching" into the wind allows the boat to get between 35° and 30° to the wind direction, but isn't comfortable for passengers, so is more for racing).
If your intended course is due north and you have a crosswind, you might actually take a heading of 340° or 350°, instead of 0° (or 10° or 20° if the wind is coming from the other side) in order to actually make your course.
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Last edited by big_D on Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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| Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:42 pm |
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lacloss
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:48 am
Posts: 1751
Location: Marbella Spain
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 | | | | big_D wrote: The course is where you want to go (for example due North), but if you are sailing or flying, you cannot go due North, you have to take things like wind and current into account, so your either adjust your heading (direction) so that you will make your course, or when sailing (sails), you will generally zig-zag, constantly changing your heading to sail either side of the wind - a sail boat cannot sail close than about 45° to the wind (leaning over and "pinching" into the wind allows the boat to get between 35° and 30° to the wind direction, but isn't comfortable for passengers, so is more for racing).
If your intended course is due north and you have a crosswind, you might actually take a heading of 340° or 350°, instead of 0° (or 10° or 20° if the wind is coming from the other side) in order to actually make your course. | | | | |
a more eloquent answer on this site have I not seen well done. 
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| Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:55 pm |
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