If a pilot is flying a textbook downwind leg for Runway 09, what heading would show on the heading indicator display?

If a pilot is flying a textbook downwind leg for Runway 09, what heading would show on the heading indicator display?

• A. 090 degrees
• B. 270 degrees
• C. 180 degrees
• D. 360 degrees

Answer: (B)

The heading indicator shows the aircraft’s magnetic heading, i.e., the direction the nose is pointing relative to magnetic north. For a textbook downwind leg for Runway 09, you fly the pattern opposite the landing direction. Runway 09 faces east, so the downwind leg is flown westward. That means your nose would be pointing toward 270 degrees. So the heading indicator should display about 270 degrees. Wind drift can change where you actually track over the ground, but the nose heading on the indicator reflects your westward direction, not the runway’s eastward orientation.

The heading indicator shows the aircraft’s magnetic heading, i.e., the direction the nose is pointing relative to magnetic north. For a textbook downwind leg for Runway 09, you fly the pattern opposite the landing direction. Runway 09 faces east, so the downwind leg is flown westward. That means your nose would be pointing toward 270 degrees. So the heading indicator should display about 270 degrees. Wind drift can change where you actually track over the ground, but the nose heading on the indicator reflects your westward direction, not the runway’s eastward orientation.