1 in 60 Rule Calculator
Off track? Find the track error, closing angle and how many degrees to turn, with the exact answer alongside.
From the start of the leg (or your last fix) to abeam your position now.
Along the track, from abeam your position to the destination or next waypoint.
Turns minutes into distance: distance = ground speed × minutes ÷ 60.
Off track after a distance
The rule backwards: how far to the side you end up with a heading or track error, for example a 5° error over 60 nm, or 1° ≈ 1 nm between radials at 60 nm from a VOR.
Glide path: degrees and ft per nm
At 1 nm, 1° is about 6,076 ÷ 60 = 101 ft, so 3° is about 300 ft per nm. See how that compares with the exact tan figure.
Training and mental-arithmetic aid. Navigate with your approved equipment, charts and ATC instructions.
How your 1 in 60 correction is worked out
Two angles from three distances, added together, then checked with exact trig.
- 1
Track error
60 × 3 ÷ 30
= 6° - 2
Closing angle
60 × 3 ÷ 60
= 3° - 3
Turn this much
6° + 3°
= 9° to the dest. - 4
Exact check
5.7° + 2.9°
= 8.6°
rule +0.4° high
Read more: the formula, a worked example and the drift table
The 1 in 60 rule says that 1 nm off track after 60 nm is an angle of about 1°. It works because a radian, the angle where the arc equals the radius, is 57.3°, and for small angles the sideways distance is close to the arc. Rounding 57.3 up to 60 makes the sums easy to do in your head, at the cost of a small error.
The formula
track error (°) = 60 × distance off ÷ distance flown
closing angle (°) = 60 × distance off ÷ distance to go
turn to reach the destination = track error + closing angle
turn to fly parallel to the track = track error
turn to regain track in the same distance = 2 × track error
exact angle = atan(distance off ÷ distance) (in degrees)
Use the same unit for every distance (nm, km or statute miles all work: the rule is a ratio). If you measure by time, turn minutes into distance first: ground speed × minutes ÷ 60, or just use minutes for both flown and to go with the off-track distance as nm at your speed.
Worked example
After flying 30 nm along a 90 nm leg you fix your position 3 nm right of track, with 60 nm still to go.
- Track error: 60 × 3 ÷ 30 = 6°. Turn 6° left to fly parallel to the planned track.
- Closing angle: 60 × 3 ÷ 60 = 3°.
- Total: 6° + 3° = 9° left to fly straight to the destination. If your heading was 090°, fly 081°.
- To regain the track in the same 30 nm instead: 2 × 6° = 12° left, then turn 6° right once you are back on it.
- Exact check: atan(3 ÷ 30) = atan(0.1) = 5.71°, and atan(3 ÷ 60) = atan(0.05) = 2.86°. Together 8.57°, so the rule is 0.43° high, about 5%.
- Left uncorrected, 3 nm off in 30 nm becomes 3 × 90 ÷ 30 = 9 nm off at the end of the 90 nm leg.
Backwards: a 5° error over 60 nm puts you 5 × 60 ÷ 60 = 5 nm off by the rule. Exactly it is 60 × tan 5° = 60 × 0.08749 = 5.25 nm.
Glide path: 3° is 3 × 6,076 ÷ 60 = 304 ft per nm by the rule, 300 ft per nm by the "× 100" shortcut, and tan 3° × 6,076 = 0.05241 × 6,076 = 318 ft per nm exactly. At 5 nm that is 5 × 318.4 = 1,592 ft above the threshold (1,500 ft by the 300 ft rule), and at 120 kt the rate is 318.4 × 120 ÷ 60 = 637 ft/min (GS × 5 = 600 ft/min).
How far the rule drifts
| Angle | Rule: off after 60 nm | Exact: 60 × tan | Rule error |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1° | 1.00 nm | 1.05 nm | −4.5% |
| 5° | 5.00 nm | 5.25 nm | −4.8% |
| 10° | 10.00 nm | 10.58 nm | −5.5% |
| 15° | 15.00 nm | 16.08 nm | −6.7% |
| 20° | 20.00 nm | 21.84 nm | −8.4% |
The rule always reads the offset a little short, so an angle worked out from an offset comes out a little high. That errs on the safe side: you turn slightly more than you need to.
Other uses
- Radials and DME arcs: at 60 nm from a VOR, radials are about 1 nm apart per degree; at 30 nm, half a mile.
- Lead radial for a turn: 60 ÷ DME distance gives the degrees per nm, handy for leading a turn onto a radial.
- Climb and descent: 1° of pitch is about 100 ft per nm, so 3° ≈ 300 ft per nm, and the rate is about ground speed × 5 for 3°.
Formulas checked 13 October 2026. For training, planning and mental arithmetic. Fly by your approved navigation equipment, charts and ATC.
Common questions
What is the 1 in 60 rule?
If you are 1 nm off track after flying 60 nm, your track is about 1° out. So the angle in degrees is about 60 × distance off ÷ distance flown. It works because one radian is 57.3°, close enough to 60 for small angles, and it lets you work out heading corrections in your head.
How do you correct for being off track with the 1 in 60 rule?
Work out the track error (60 × off ÷ flown) and the closing angle (60 × off ÷ distance to go). Turn by the two added together to fly straight to the destination, or by the track error alone to fly parallel to the planned track. 3 nm off after 30 nm with 60 nm to go gives 6° + 3° = 9°.
How accurate is the 1 in 60 rule?
Very close for small angles. Finding an angle from an offset it reads about 5% high at small angles (6° instead of 5.7° for 3 nm off in 30 nm), and the error grows to about 9% at 20°. That is within what you can fly by hand, which is why it is taught as a mental tool.
How do I regain track in the same distance?
Double the track error. If you drifted 6° off over 30 nm, turn 12° back towards the track and you will cross it after about another 30 nm. Then turn back 6° to hold the track with your new heading.
What does the 1 in 60 rule say about glide paths?
At 1 nm, 1° is about 6,076 ÷ 60 = 101 ft, so a 3° path is about 300 ft per nm. The exact figure is tan 3° × 6,076 = 318 ft per nm. Pilots use 300 ft per nm (or height = distance × 3 in hundreds of feet) to check they are on the glide path.
Related calculators
Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.