What heading maintenance is required during cross-country navigation?

During cross-country navigation, maintaining an accurate heading is crucial for ensuring that you reach your intended destination. The requirement of ±15 degrees for heading maintenance strikes a balance between precision and the realistic conditions pilots face during flight.

When navigating cross-country, pilots are often dealing with various factors such as wind drift, turbulence, and potential instrument inaccuracies. The ±15-degree allowance provides the necessary flexibility to accommodate these variables while still maintaining a sufficient level of accuracy to bear on course.

An allowance smaller than ±15 degrees, like ±10 degrees or ±5 degrees, would demand a level of precision that may be difficult to achieve consistently in real-world flying conditions, where external factors can lead to variations. On the other hand, a larger allowance like ±20 degrees could result in significant navigation errors, compromising the flight path significantly. Thus, the ±15 degrees standard is appropriate and commonly accepted in flight training and navigation practices.