JoeyC
JoeyC
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2007
- Messages
- 105
- Reaction score
- 1
Hi Gang:
Been contemplating taking some longer cross-countries around the area and decided the first step was to install a compass that worked (the one there when I bought the airplane was an old Navy surplus remote compass that was DOA).
I bought a pretty new S.I.R.S from ACS, but as soon as I put it in the panel, it immediately swung 60+ degrees off the correct heading. I swapped that for an old (serviceable) Airpath I had, and the same thing happened. I flew the other day with the Airpath, and it indicates either 060 or 090, no matter what the actual heading.
Irealize any compass will have to be swung and corrected, but 60+ degrees isexcessively off and, in any case,the S.I.R.S manual specifically says (in essence)that any correction in excess of 30 degrees is an airplaneproblem that has to be addressed (e.g. degaussing).Some experimentation with a small magnet shows that the windscreen flange bolts are steel(magnetized), and I'm wondering if/hoping that might be the problem and that changing to stainless steel would help. I've held both units at the top of the windscreen to see if a mounting up there would fix it, but the same thing happens.
Otherwise, my cockpit must be a magnetic black hole!I'd much prefer not to(and won't) rely strictly on a GPS for heading info. Any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.
Joe
Been contemplating taking some longer cross-countries around the area and decided the first step was to install a compass that worked (the one there when I bought the airplane was an old Navy surplus remote compass that was DOA).
I bought a pretty new S.I.R.S from ACS, but as soon as I put it in the panel, it immediately swung 60+ degrees off the correct heading. I swapped that for an old (serviceable) Airpath I had, and the same thing happened. I flew the other day with the Airpath, and it indicates either 060 or 090, no matter what the actual heading.
Irealize any compass will have to be swung and corrected, but 60+ degrees isexcessively off and, in any case,the S.I.R.S manual specifically says (in essence)that any correction in excess of 30 degrees is an airplaneproblem that has to be addressed (e.g. degaussing).Some experimentation with a small magnet shows that the windscreen flange bolts are steel(magnetized), and I'm wondering if/hoping that might be the problem and that changing to stainless steel would help. I've held both units at the top of the windscreen to see if a mounting up there would fix it, but the same thing happens.
Otherwise, my cockpit must be a magnetic black hole!I'd much prefer not to(and won't) rely strictly on a GPS for heading info. Any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.
Joe
