[mhcasey]

I'm pretty sure the answers to these questions are in the AIM, but I haven't been able to track them down.

When ATC assigns a heading, do they expect the pilot to attempt to fly that ground track, aka correct for wind, or do they just want you to fly that heading as it appears on the DG? It seems to me that given all of the questions in the written books about "ATC says traffic here, but you're holding this much correction, where do you look?" imply that you should try to fly the assigned heading along the ground, but I can't find a reference anywhere that says this is what one should do.

Also, does ATC typically expect this, or do they assume the pilot typically won't correct for wind (this is a practical question, not a "by the books what you're supposed to do" question)?

If the pilot is supposed to maintain the correct ground track assigned, are they supposed to do the same thing when given the instructions on takeoff to "maintain runway heading?" For some reason, I feel like I've read somewhere that you just fly that heading on the DG after takeoff and don't concern yourself with wind drift.