The Theory and Computation of Single Heading Flights *
Irving I. Gringorten · Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 1948
Single-heading flight is a relatively new and simple system of navigation which generally saves flying time and fuel. To date its use has been restricted to regions where geostrophic winds prevail. The present article presents the theoretical derivation of the formula for single heading and a method for plotting the expected track of the airplane. The use of single-heading flight may be extended over the whole earth, and for variable airspeeds and altitude of flight. This article shows under what circumstances this type of flight planning will yield the path of shortest flying time.