Which instrument shows the aircraft's heading relative to magnetic north?

• A. Indicates true north heading.
• B. Displays attitude.
• C. Displays rate of turn.
• D. Shows the aircraft's heading relative to magnetic north.

Answer: (D)

Heading information relative to magnetic north comes from the heading indicator, a gyro-stabilized instrument that keeps a steady reference of the nose direction in degrees from magnetic north. You set it to the current heading on the ground, and in flight it provides a stable readout of where the aircraft is pointed with respect to magnetic north, regardless of pitch or bank. This is different from the attitude indicator, which only shows pitch and bank, and from the rate-of-turn indicator, which shows how quickly you’re turning. The magnetic compass also shows heading relative to magnetic north but can wander or lag during turns, whereas the heading indicator is designed to provide a stable heading reference. So, the instrument that shows the aircraft's heading relative to magnetic north is the heading indicator.