Course (navigation)

Okay kiddo, have you ever been in a car with your family and the grown-ups use a map or a GPS to figure out how to get to a place? Well, pilots and sailors also use something similar to get to their destination. It’s called a course!

A course helps pilots and sailors to figure out which direction they need to go and how to avoid obstacles like mountains or dangerous rocks in the sea. Just like how your parents or guardians use a map, pilots and sailors use maps called charts. These charts have all sorts of lines and symbols that show them where everything is.

Now, let's imagine we want to go from your house to your friend’s house. We know the direction and the distance, but we need to figure out the route to take. For example, we might need to turn right or left at a traffic light or a stop sign, or we might need to follow a particular street or road. Pilots and sailors also have to follow a specific route to get where they want to go. This route is called a course.

To make it easy to follow the course, pilots and sailors use a compass. A compass is a tool that tells them which direction they are going. Just as you use a compass to find north, a pilot or sailor uses it to make sure they are heading in the right direction.

But sometimes the wind or currents in the water can push a boat or a plane off course, just like how a strong gust of wind can blow your kite away. To make sure they stay on course, pilots and sailors also use instruments called GPS or Global Positioning System. GPS shows them where they are and how far they are from their destination.

So, in summary, a course is a direction for pilots and sailors to follow to reach their destination. They use maps called charts, compasses, and GPS to make sure they stay on track and avoid getting lost.