PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - CASA $1,000 Useless Compass Check
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Old 10th Jan 2015, 18:31
  #82 (permalink)  
Sunfish
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Against my better judgement, I'm going to weigh in on this. I think a compass calibration under flight conditions is a worthwhile thing.

I have personally experienced sophisticated navigation and autopilot systems going haywire - admittedly on a yacht, at night. The results are a raft of confusing and contradictory indications and my only means of determining which parts of the system were lying to me was my Sestrel magnetic compass.

I understand that a similar failure mode caused the loss of an Airbus in the Atlantic. Clock compass and ASI - first principles in an emergency.

To put that another way; a man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with Two is never sure.
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