Spatial exercise · ~1 min a run · free
Compass Headings
Turn onto a new heading in your head.
Session mode
Difficulty
Auto sets the level from your recent results: up when you are acing it, down when it is too hard.
How to play
- 1Read your current heading and the turn.
- 2Add for a right turn, subtract for a left turn.
- 3Pick the new heading; remember it wraps around 360 degrees.
How this compares with a full block
Published orientation blocks in this skill domain run about 16 items in 10 minutes, so a real block is longer than this run and sets the pace for you. This one stays self-paced in both modes on purpose: that published pace belongs to a block whose items are read off cockpit instruments, while these are worked out on a compass rose, so borrowing the clock would make the run harder without making it any closer to the real task. Repeat it a few times if you want the length.
See a worked example
Heading arithmetic with a wrap, and the fast method for a large turn is to run it the short way round. You are on 070 and told to turn right 250 degrees. A turn this large only comes up on the hardest setting. Add first: 070 plus 250 is 320, and since that is under 360 there is no wrap to repair. The short way round reaches the same place by another route, because a right turn of 250 arrives where a left turn of 110 arrives and the two add to 360, so 070 minus 110 is minus 40 and you add 360 back to get 320. What you must never skip is checking whether you crossed 360, in either direction, before you look at the options. The trap is the heading you reach by turning the wrong way, which is built into every item as an option, so a direction slip never looks wrong on the page. Say left or right to yourself before touching the numbers.
Reading the compass and working out turns is core airmanship and a common spatial-orientation task in selection. Given a heading and a turn, work out the new heading, remembering that headings wrap around 360 degrees.
About this test
About this test
What this test measures
This measures spatial orientation and mental compass work: adding and subtracting headings, finding reciprocals and turning the shortest way. It is the mental geometry of every heading change and bearing problem.
How to improve your score
- Learn reciprocals instantly with the plus 200 then minus 20 shortcut.
- Picture the compass rose and the turn direction before doing the arithmetic.
- Drill the cardinal and intercardinal points until 045 and 225 are second nature.
Good to know
Good to know
Round, turn, adjust
Round the turn to an easy amount, apply it, then fine-tune. Add for a right turn and subtract for a left, using 090, 180, 270 and 360 as reference marks.Mind the wrap at north
Headings run 001 to 360 clockwise and wrap at north, so if a turn takes you past 360 subtract 360, and below 001 add 360. Most dropped marks here are wrap errors, not arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
How do headings work?
How do headings work?
Why practise this?
Why practise this?
Any shortcut?
Any shortcut?
Training for an airline assessment?
The SkyStudy ATPL question bank is built for EASA ATPL exam preparation, with timed mock exams, spaced repetition and analytics across every subject. Free to start, no card needed.