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Compass Replacement: Two Viable Options

Mag compasses live hard lives. They bake in the sun-splashed heat of the windscreen. They sustain endless amounts of airframe vibration, which not only makes them a challenge to read with accuracy but also contributes to ultimate failure. You probably don’t think much about the compass in your aircraft until it spews its fluid all over the instrument panel and you realize FAR 91.205 requires you to fix it. Replacement options are slim and while a vertical card model is considered a step above the traditional whiskey design, installation technique is critical, and surprisingly expensive.

Larry Anglisano
Verified

Mag compasses live hard lives. They bake in the sun-splashed heat of the windscreen. They sustain endless amounts of airframe vibration, which not only makes them a challenge to read with accuracy but also contributes to ultimate failure.

You probably don’t think much about the compass in your aircraft until it spews its fluid all over the instrument panel and you realize FAR 91.205 requires you to fix it. Replacement options are slim and while a vertical card model is considered a step above the traditional whiskey design, installation technique is critical, and surprisingly expensive.

Larry Anglisano

Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.