Pilot/Controller Glossary
DEAD RECKONING
This reproduces published FAA reference text for study. It does not replace the current official FAA publication or regulation.
Dead reckoning, as applied to flying, is the navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction, and speed, groundspeed, and elapsed time.
Retrieved from ecfr.gov on July 18, 2026.