Gordon Misch
MEMBER
Toledo, Wa (KTDO)
The magnetic compass provides a rough check on winds, as compared to GPS track. Mine is quite close to correct, and I do look at it as a cross-check.
Question. Any of you whiskey compass advocates use a 406 ELT? Why? Let RCC do some dead reckoning magic. But they don’t do that and you don’t want them to try, right? Hell, try dead reckoning through Houston Texas to get to a concert. Bet you won’t do that, either.
You have that right Mike. Some of these folks who are poo pooing the whisky compass are spoiled with their GPSs. They need to fly north of Yellowknife with nothing more than a sectional chart and compass under an overcast sky. All the sectional charts look the same.I guess if all I did was fly in Bravo airspace, I might not care about compass accuracy.
MTV
You have that right Mike. Some of these folks who are poo pooing the whisky compass are spoiled with their GPSs. They need to fly north of Yellowknife with nothing more than a sectional chart and compass under an overcast sky. All the sectional charts look the same.
I believe that the point of the compass is, 'when all else fails . . .' Neat phone apps. Cool screens. Even the ones that have a backup battery. But electrical systems fail. And most people are NOT on top of the replacement schedule for their backup batteries (yes! You!).
Web
Isn't a magnetometer a "magnetic direction indicator" when paired with a display (EFIS, MFD, whatever)? I've always assumed it was, since I've seen at least one certified plane with a magnetometer, but no compass...Magnetic compasses make about as much sense as 121.5 ELTs. Worthless weight. There are better alternatives. My Cub uses a magnetometer. In my 180 I set my DG by the GPS. In both cases I have an iPhone as a backup. Welcome to 21st century living using 20th century regulations. Only in aviation.
Isn't a magnetometer a "magnetic direction indicator" when paired with a display (EFIS, MFD, whatever)? I've always assumed it was, since I've seen at least one certified plane with a magnetometer, but no compass...