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Wind Correction on Course

Crab into the wind so the ground track stays on the line.

1. Why the needle drifts

The airplane flies through the air, but the CDI measures your position over the ground. In a crosswind the wind pushes you sideways off course even when your heading is spot-on the course.

2. Crab the nose upwind

Point the nose slightly into the wind. The aircraft is now flying a heading that isn't the course, but its ground track is. Start with a 5° correction, watch the needle — if it keeps drifting, add more; if it comes back too fast, reduce.

Desired courseWindCrab into the windNose points here

3. The bracketing rule

If 5° left stops the drift, that's your wind-correction angle for this leg. Split-half your corrections after the needle centers so you don't chase it: 5° stops the drift → hold 5° until the next drift.