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  • $\begingroup$ I don't believe it is incorrect to refer to a bearing from the station. If you are inbound on the 090 radial your bearing is 270 to the station. At station passage when the flag flips from "TO" to "FROM" your bearing is still 270, but it is now a bearing from the station, and you are on the same radial as your bearing. Right? Can't there be a bearing that takes you away from a station? $\endgroup$ Commented May 8, 2023 at 17:33
  • $\begingroup$ @Michael, you are confusing the concept of "bearing" with the concept of heading, or ground track. According to Miriam Webster, the most appropriate definition of "Bearing" is "the situation or horizontal direction of one point with respect to another or to the compass." so it is a bit backwards to use it to refer to the bearing of your own aircraft from the navaid. Your heading to the station might be 270, but bearing means from a point or position. I guess you might say the VOR's * bearing* from you is 270, but that just sounds weird.... $\endgroup$ Commented May 9, 2023 at 13:56
  • $\begingroup$ I don’t think I’m confused, I just think the term bearing is bi-directional. The Webster definition you quoted even makes that point. It might be less common usage the other direction, but I don’t think it’s actually wrong. $\endgroup$ Commented May 9, 2023 at 14:29
  • $\begingroup$ I'm not even sure what you mean by "bi-directional". As you said, the word Bearing implies the direction from a point to a second point, i.e. the direction, heading, or track someone or something at the first point would need to point or move to get to that second point. Once you've passed that point, it makes little sense, and is kinda useless to use the word bearing at all. What would you be trying to communicate? The heading that the VOR would need to move in to get to your aircraft? $\endgroup$ Commented May 10, 2023 at 0:58
  • $\begingroup$ "...one point with respect to another..." In other words, between two points - in either direction. And it says nothing about movement of the points. $\endgroup$ Commented May 10, 2023 at 1:31