The drift angle is defined as the angle between which two elements?

• A. Heading and track
• B. Altitude and airspeed
• C. Wind and heading
• D. Ground speed and airspeed

Answer: (A)

The drift angle is the angular difference between the aircraft's heading (the direction the nose is pointing) and its ground track (the direction it is actually moving over the ground). Wind pushes the airplane sideways, so even when you point toward a certain heading, the path over the ground can diverge, creating a drift angle. For example, you might point east, but a crosswind shifts your actual ground path slightly northeast; the angle between your heading and your track is the drift angle. The other options involve speeds or altitude, which are magnitudes or unrelated quantities, not the angular difference between where you point and where you go over the ground.