Spatial exercise · ~2 min a run · free
Radar Orientation
Read a heading-up radar and report where each contact lies relative to your nose.
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A heading-up radar display shows your aircraft at the centre pointing straight up, with several labelled contacts around it. Your task is to report the relative bearing to a named contact as a clock position, or, on the hardest setting, to convert it to a magnetic bearing using the displayed heading. Each picture is generated fresh, so practice builds the live mental rotation between what you see ahead and where things actually are.
About this test
About this test
What this test measures
Radar orientation measures plan-view spatial awareness: reading a heading-up display to place each contact relative to your own nose, and converting that relative clock bearing into a magnetic bearing using your heading. It is the orientation skill behind traffic awareness and instrument situational picture-building.
How to improve your score
- Read the relative clock position first, because a heading-up display makes it a direct on-screen read: top is 12, right is 3.
- Only after the clock, add your heading to get a magnetic bearing, and practise the wrap so 305 plus 090 gives 035.
- Drill the heading-addition step on its own; most errors on the hard setting come from the arithmetic, not from misreading the picture.
Good to know
Good to know
Technique: clock first, then convert
Always read the relative clock position first, because the display is heading-up and the clock is just the on-screen angle: top is 12, right is 3, and so on. Only then, for a true bearing, add your heading. Keep the addition simple by rounding: heading 215 plus a 3 o'clock (090 relative) is 305 magnetic. Doing it in two clean steps beats trying to read the magnetic bearing directly.Benchmark: what good looks like
On the relative settings, 9 or 10 correct out of 10 is the target, since the clock position is a direct read. On the hard setting, where you add heading to get a magnetic bearing, 7 or more out of 10 is a strong result. Errors there usually come from heading addition, not from misreading the clock, so practise the add-and-wrap step until it is automatic.
Frequently asked questions
What does Radar Orientation train?
What does Radar Orientation train?
How does difficulty change the task?
How does difficulty change the task?
Is this a specific airline radar test?
Is this a specific airline radar test?
Training for an airline assessment?
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