PLT198: Wind and Course Correction
What code PLT198 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Wind and Course Correction before your checkride.
Recall course / heading - effects of wind
What this means for your checkride
Wind moves the airplane over the ground, so to track a desired course you turn into the wind by a wind correction angle. The stronger the crosswind component, the larger the correction; a head or tailwind changes groundspeed and time but not the heading needed to hold the course.
Correcting for wind is the heart of navigation, so the FAA tests how wind changes heading, groundspeed, and time on a course.
Pilots crab by guesswork and drift off course. The wind correction angle comes from the crosswind component and true airspeed; too little correction and the airplane drifts downwind of the intended track.
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.