Radar heading
 

Hi,

I listen to my scanner all the time but I'm never sure what the difference between "Radar heading" and the normal heading is.
Anyone know?
Thanks,
Ian

Hi Ian,

The short answer is that there is no difference between 'heading' and 'radar heading'. In fact 'radar heading' is not official phraseology.

The phrase tends to be used when the aircraft has been flying direct to a beacon/fix or has been on its own navigation and the controller now wants him to fly a heading derived by the radar.

If the aircraft is already on a heading and the controller wants to give a new heading, then more often than not, just 'heading' will be used.

However, you'll find that some controllers will use 'radar heading' all the time and some won't ever have used the two words together before and probably never will. Just a matter of preference!

Hope this helps,

AI

Ian,

It's just as AI explains. At my unit it's used too. I think it started as a way of emphasising to linguistically challenged pilots that they should remain locked on the asigned heading until further instructed. They should do so anyway if given a heading by ATC, but we would get the odd unfamiliar guy who thought we were giving him advisery headings, would pass abeam the fix, and make an unexpected turn to his next fix! (These pilots generally came from countries where ATC was almost a DIY job!). Controllers began to add "radar" to "heading" and it's become a habit for some.

"Heading" is whatever the aircraft is heading at the time.

"Radar heading" is a heading assigned by ATC, to which you are required to keep until either given a new radar heading, or released on your own navigation.

You will often hear an exchange like:-

ATC:- "XYZ123, say your heading"
A/c:- "XYZ123 is heading is 120 degrees"
ATC:- "Roger, make that a radar heading"
A/c:- "Radar heading 120 degrees, XYZ123"

[This message has been edited by HugMonster (edited 07 April 2001).]

But officially it should be "continue heading 1-2-0", which effectively makes it an ATC assigned heading. Incidentally, in ATC we are required to instruct pilots to "continue" a heading and "maintain" a flight level. Pilots always respond with "maintain" in both cases.

And that other old chestnut

"ABC123 fly heading"

i never worked that one out, as far as i can tell flies always behave erratically!!