What do compass headings in print refer to?

Compass headings in print generally refer to True North. True North is the direction along the earth's surface towards the North Pole, representing a fixed geographic reference. In aviation and navigation, True North is crucial for accurately determining an aircraft’s heading and ensuring that flight plans are correctly aligned with the geographic layout of the earth.

Magnetic North differs from True North due to the Earth's magnetic field, which can cause a compass reading to vary based on location and local magnetic anomalies. While Grid North refers to the north as defined by grid lines on a map, it is typically used for courses plotted on map grids rather than for heading references. Chart North is not a standard term commonly used in navigation contexts.

Understanding the distinction between these types of north is essential for pilots and operators of unmanned aircraft systems, as accurate navigation depends on knowing which type of north reference is being referred to in flight data and maps.