Tracking is defined as which of the following?

• A. Flying a heading that maintains the altitude
• B. Flying a heading to keep the radar contact with a station
• C. Flying a heading that will maintain the desired track to or from the station regardless of crosswind conditions
• D. Flying a constant airspeed

Answer: (C)

Tracking is the process of keeping your aircraft on the intended ground track to or from a navigation station by adjusting your heading to compensate for crosswinds. The ground track is where you actually move over the earth, while the heading is the direction the nose points. When a crosswind pushes you off course, you establish a wind correction angle and point into the wind enough to keep your path along the desired line to the station. This option captures that idea by describing flying a heading that will maintain the desired track regardless of crosswind.

The other ideas don’t fit as well: maintaining altitude is about vertical position, not navigation; keeping radar contact with a station relates to being within radar range or receiving guidance, not staying on a predetermined ground track; and maintaining a constant airspeed is about speed, not the path over the ground.