What best defines Magnetic Heading?

• A. Uses the direction of the earth's magnetic field at that location as the reference.
• B. Uses true north as reference.
• C. Is the instantaneous bearing to the aircraft's true position.
• D. Depends on GPS only.

Answer: (A)

Magnetic heading is the direction the aircraft’s nose is pointing relative to the Earth's magnetic north. This means the reference line is the local magnetic field, not geographic (true) north, so the reading reflects how a magnetic compass or magnetometer points at that location. That’s why this heading can differ from true heading—the angle between magnetic north and true north varies by location (magnetic variation or declination), and pilots use this difference to convert between magnetic and true headings as needed. The idea of an instantaneous bearing to the aircraft’s true position describes a direction to a point, not the aircraft’s own orientation. And magnetic heading doesn’t rely on GPS; it can be determined with a compass or onboard sensors even without GPS.