PLT014: Distance and Bearing to a Station
What code PLT014 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Distance and Bearing to a Station before your checkride.
Calculate distance / bearing to a station
What this means for your checkride
This is finding your distance and bearing from a navaid: DME gives slant-range distance to the station, while a bearing pointer such as an RMI or the VOR shows the direction to or from it. Together they fix your position relative to the station.
Position fixing from a navaid is core instrument navigation, so the FAA tests whether you can read distance and bearing and combine them into a position.
Pilots read DME as ground distance. DME shows slant range, so directly over a station at altitude it reads your height above it, not zero.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.