What is the conversion from true heading to magnetic heading when there is a magnetic variation of 10° East?

To understand the conversion from true heading to magnetic heading in the presence of a magnetic variation of 10° East, it's important to grasp the relationship between true north and magnetic north. The magnetic variation indicates the angle difference between true north (the geographic North Pole) and magnetic north (the direction a magnetic compass points).

When dealing with east variation, you need to add the variation to the true heading to convert it to magnetic heading. This is because a true heading points toward true north, whereas magnetic north is displaced to the east in this scenario. Therefore, to find out where to steer the aircraft in comparison to the eastward magnetic north, you increase the true heading by the magnetic variation.

Thus, if your true heading is, for example, 30°, you would adjust it by adding 10° to arrive at a magnetic heading of 40°.

In contrast, if there were a magnetic variation of 10° West, the method would involve subtracting the variation from the true heading, demonstrating how the nature of the variation affects the conversion process. Understanding these principles is essential for accurately navigating and ensuring you maintain the correct flight path.