Let's get back to the original question.
Originally Posted by
noperf
Departing OMSJ recently tower cleared us for takeoff and amended our clearance to "fly runway track" or something along those lines. Did they actually mean the track of the runway course or is this another way to say fly runway heading?
As always, the phraseology used is critical. Unfortunately, if you can't accurately quote the clearance given in your question, how on earth can we discuss what was actually meant? Having said that, I really cannot understand why it has prompted all this discussion.
- Fly Runway Heading after take-off, means fly the QFU (magnetic alignment) of the runway as a heading after take-off (i.e. do not correct for drift),
- Fly Runway Track, or Maintain Runway Centreline after take-off both mean exactly that, i.e. fly a heading which causes you to track the runway extended centreline (i.e. do correct for drift).
I have to say that, in over 40 years of flying, I've never had a problem with this. As always, if there is any ambiguity in a clearance, you should clarify exactly what is meant before you accept it.
JD
