Navy touch-and-go initial climb heading?

Navy touch-and-go initial climb heading?

• A. Runway heading
• B. Magnetic north
• C. 180 degrees
• D. Right-hand pattern heading

Answer: (A)

After liftoff in a touch-and-go, you climb straight ahead along the runway centerline. That direction is the runway heading, which is the actual direction the runway is oriented toward on the chart (magnetic). Climbing in this direction keeps you aligned with the departure path and makes it predictable to join the pattern for the next leg. Magnetic north is simply the reference for compass readings; it doesn’t dictate the specific initial climb path. A fixed 180 degrees isn’t automatically correct unless the runway happens to be oriented exactly north–south and you’re departing in that direction. A right-hand pattern heading describes how you’ll fly once established in the pattern, not the initial climb direction itself.

After liftoff in a touch-and-go, you climb straight ahead along the runway centerline. That direction is the runway heading, which is the actual direction the runway is oriented toward on the chart (magnetic). Climbing in this direction keeps you aligned with the departure path and makes it predictable to join the pattern for the next leg. Magnetic north is simply the reference for compass readings; it doesn’t dictate the specific initial climb path. A fixed 180 degrees isn’t automatically correct unless the runway happens to be oriented exactly north–south and you’re departing in that direction. A right-hand pattern heading describes how you’ll fly once established in the pattern, not the initial climb direction itself.