Compass Errors
See variation, deviation, magnetic dip, and the turning and acceleration errors of a direct-reading compass
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What to try
- On the first tab, change the variation and the deviation coefficients and follow the three norths: true, magnetic and compass.
- Open Dip and slide the magnetic latitude to see the horizontal part of the field shrink towards the poles.
- On the last tab, put the aircraft on a northerly heading in a bank and see which way the compass swings.
- Switch to acceleration error on an east or west heading, then answer a few conversion questions.
Exam point
UNOS for turns: undershoot north, overshoot south. ANDS for acceleration: accelerate north, decelerate south. Turning error is biggest on north and south, acceleration error biggest on east and west, and both are zero on the other headings. All grow with latitude.
Study aid only. Figures here are simplified and fictional, so always use current DGCA and ICAO documents and the approved manual for real operations.