What term describes the angular difference between True North and Magnetic North?

What term describes the angular difference between True North and Magnetic North?

• A. Variation
• B. Track
• C. True Heading
• D. Drift

Answer: (A)

Magnetic variation is the angular difference between True North and Magnetic North. This offset exists because the Earth's magnetic field is not aligned with the geographic poles, and the variation is specific to each location and changes slowly over time. Pilots use this value to convert headings between true and magnetic references, applying the variation in the appropriate direction. Other terms describe different ideas: track is the actual path over the ground, true heading is the aircraft’s nose direction relative to True North, and drift refers to lateral movement caused by wind or compass errors. Pilots typically consult aeronautical charts for the current variation at their location.

Magnetic variation is the angular difference between True North and Magnetic North. This offset exists because the Earth's magnetic field is not aligned with the geographic poles, and the variation is specific to each location and changes slowly over time. Pilots use this value to convert headings between true and magnetic references, applying the variation in the appropriate direction. Other terms describe different ideas: track is the actual path over the ground, true heading is the aircraft’s nose direction relative to True North, and drift refers to lateral movement caused by wind or compass errors. Pilots typically consult aeronautical charts for the current variation at their location.