Direction Indicating Instruments

Magnetic Compass
• It is a requirement that all certified aircraft
have some sort of magnetic direction
indicator.
• The magnetic compass is a direction finding
instrument that has been used for navigation
for hundreds of years.
• It is a simple instrument that takes
advantage of the earth’s magnetic field.
• Figure shows the earth and the magnetic
field that surrounds it.
• The magnetic north pole is very close to the
geographic North Pole of the globe, but they
are not the same.
 Magnetic Compass
• An ordinary permanent magnet that is
free to do so, aligns itself with the
direction of the earth’s magnetic field.
• Upon this principle, an instrument is
constructed that the pilot can reference
for directional orientation.
• Permanent magnets are attached under
a float that is mounted on a pivot so it
is free to rotate in the horizontal plane.
• As such, the magnets align with the
earth’s magnetic field.
 Magnetic Compass
• A numerical compass card, usually
graduated in 5° increments, is constructed
around the perimeter of the float.
• It serves as the instrument dial.
• The entire assembly is enclosed in a
sealed case that is filled with a liquid
similar to kerosene.
• This dampens vibration and oscillation of
the moving float assembly and decreases
friction.
 Magnetic Compass
• On the front of the case, a glass face allows the numerical compass card to be
referenced against a vertical lubber line.
• The magnetic heading of the aircraft is read by noting the graduation on
which the lubber line falls.
• Thus, direction in any of 360° can be read off the dial as the magnetic float
compass card assembly holds its alignment with magnetic north, while the
aircraft changes direction.
 Magnetic Compass
• The liquid that fills the compass case expands and contracts as altitude
changes and temperature fluctuates.
• A bellows diaphragm expands and contracts to adjust the volume of the
space inside the case so it remains full.
 Magnetic Compass Deviation
• There are accuracy issues associated with using a magnetic compass.
• The main magnets of a compass align not only with the earth’s magnetic field,
they actually align with the composite field made up of all magnetic influences
around them, meaning local electromagnetic influence from metallic
structures near the compass and operation aircraft’s electrical system.
• This is called magnetic deviation.
• It causes a magnet’s alignment with the earth’s magnetic field to be altered.
• Compensating screws are turned, which move small permanent magnets in the
compass case to correct for this magnetic deviation.
• The two set-screws are on the face of the instrument and are labeled N-S and
E-W.
• They position the small magnets to counterbalance the local magnetic
influences acting on the main compass magnets.
• The process for knowing how to adjust for deviation is known
as swinging the compass.
• Magnetic deviation cannot be overlooked.
• It should never be more than 10°.
• Using nonferrous mounting screws
and shielding or twisting the wire
running to the compass
illuminating lamp are additional
steps taken to keep deviation to a
minimum.
 Magnetic Variation
• Another compass error is called magnetic variation.
• It is caused by the difference in location between the earth’s
magnetic poles and the geographic poles.
• There are only a few places on the planet where a compass pointing
to magnetic north is also pointing to geographic North.
• A line drawn through these
locations is called the Agonic line.
• At all other points, there is some
variation between that which a
magnetic compass indicates is
north and geographic (true) North.
• Depending on the location of the aircraft, airmen must add or
subtract degrees from the magnetic indication to obtain true
geographic location information.
 Dip Error
• The earth’s magnetic field exits the poles
vertically and arches around to extend past the
equator horizontally or parallel to the earth’s
surface.
• Operating an aircraft near the magnetic poles
causes what is known as dip error.
• The compass magnets pull downward toward the
pole, rather than horizontally, as is the case near
the equator.
• This downward motion causes inaccuracy in the
indication.
• Although the compass float mechanism is
weighted to compensate, the closer the aircraft is
to the north or south magnetic poles, the more
pronounced the errors.
 Acceleration Error
• Dip errors manifest themselves in two
ways.
• The first is called acceleration error.
• If an aircraft is flying on an east-west
path and simply accelerates, the
inertia of the float mechanism causes
the compass to swing to the north.
• Rapid deceleration causes it to swing
southward.
 Turning Error
• Second, if flying toward the North Pole
and a banked turn is made, the downward
pull of the magnetic field initially pulls the
card away from the direction of the turn.
• The opposite is true if flying south from
the North Pole and a banked turn is
initiated.
• In this case, there is initially a pull of the
compass indicator toward the direction of
the turn.
• These kinds of movements are called
turning errors.
• Another peculiarity exists with the magnetic compass that is not dip error.
• If flying north or toward any indicated heading, turning the aircraft to the
left causes a steady decrease in the heading numbers.
• But, before the turn is made, the numbers to the left on the compass card
are actually increasing.
• The numbers to
the right of the
lubber line rotate
behind it on a left
turn.
• So, the compass
card rotates
opposite to the
direction of the
intended turn.
 Vertical Magnetic Compass
• The vertical magnetic compass is a variation of the magnetic compass
that eliminates the reverse rotation of the compass card just described.

• By mounting the main indicating magnets of

the compass on a shaft rather than a float,
through a series of gears, a compass card
can be made to turn about a horizontal axis.
• This allows the numbers for a heading,
towards which the pilot wants to turn, to be
oriented correctly on the indicating card.
• In other words, when turning right,
increasing numbers are to the right; when
turning left, decreasing numbers rotate in
from the left.
 Vertical Magnetic Compass
• Many vertical magnetic compasses have also
replaced the liquid-filled instrument housing with
a dampening cup that uses eddy currents to
dampen oscillations.
• Note that a vertical magnetic compass and a
directional gyro look very similar and are often in
the lower center position of the instrument panel
basic T.
• Both use the nose of an aircraft as the lubber line
against which a rotating compass card is read.
• Vertical magnetic compasses are characterized by
the absence of the hand adjustment knob found
on DGs, which is used to align the gyro with a
magnetic indication.
 Remote Indicating Compass
• Magnetic deviation is compensated for by swinging the compass and
adjusting compensating magnets in the instrument housing.
• A better solution to deviation is to remotely locate the magnetic compass in
a wing tip or vertical stabilizer where there is very little interference with the
earth’s magnetic field.
• By using a synchro remote indicating system, the magnetic compass float
assembly can act as the rotor of the synchro system.
• As the float mechanism rotates to align with magnetic north in the remotely
located compass, a varied electric current can be produced in the
transmitter.
• This alters the magnetic field produced by the coils of the indicator in the
cockpit, and a magnetic indication relatively free from deviation is displayed.
• Many of these systems are of the magnesyn type.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)
• An elaborate and very accurate method of direction indication
has been developed that combines the use of a gyro, a magnetic
compass, and a remote indicating system.
• It is called the slaved gyro compass or flux gate compass system.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)
• A gyroscopic direction indicator is augmented by magnetic
direction information from a remotely located compass.
• The type of compass used is called a flux valve or flux gate
compass.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)
• It consists of a very magnetically permeable circular segmented core frame or spider.
• The earth’s magnetic field flows through this iron core and varies its distribution
through segments of the core as the flux valve is rotated via the movement of the
aircraft.
• Pickup coil windings are located on each of the core’s spider legs that are positioned
120° apart.
Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass (Flux
Gate Compass)
• The distribution of earth’s magnetic field flowing through the legs is unique for every
directional orientation of the aircraft.
• A coil is placed in the center of the core and is energized by AC current.
• As the AC flow passes through zero while changing direction, the earth’s magnetic field
is allowed to flow through the core.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)
• Then, it is blocked or gated as the magnetic field of the core current flow builds
to its peak again.
• The cycle is repeated at the frequency of the AC supplied to the excitation coil.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)
• The result is repeated flow and nonflow of the earth’s flux across the
pickup coils.
• During each cycle, a unique voltage is induced in each of the pickup coils
reflecting the orientation of the aircraft in the earth’s magnetic field.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)

• The electricity that flows

from each of the pickup
coils is transmitted out
of the flux valve via
wires into a second unit.
• It contains an autosyn
transmitter, directional
gyro, an amplifier, and a
triple wound stator that
is similar to that found
in the indicator of a
synchro system.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)

• Unique voltage is
induced in the center
rotor of this stator
which reflects the
voltage received from
the flux valve pickup
coils sent through the
stator coils.
• It is amplified and
used to augment the
position of the DG.
 Remote Indicating Slaved Gyro Compass
(Flux Gate Compass)

• The gyro is wired to be

the rotor of an autosyn
synchro system, which
transmits the position of
the gyro into an
indicator unit located in
the cockpit.
• In the indicator, a
vertical compass card is
rotated against a small
airplane type lubber line
like that in a vertical
magnetic compass.
 Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI)
• Further enhancements to direction finding systems of this type involving the
integration of radio navigation aids are common.
• The radio magnetic indicator (RMI) is one such variation.
• In addition to the rotating direction indicator of the slaved gyro compass, it
contains two pointers.
• One indicates the bearing to a very high
frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range
(VOR) station and the other indicates the
bearing to a nondirectional automatic
direction finder (ADF) beacon.
• It should also be noted that integration of
slaved gyro direction indicating system
information into auto-pilot systems is also
possible.
 Solid State Magnetometers

• Solid state magnetometers are used on many modern aircraft.

• They have no moving parts and are extremely accurate.
• Tiny layered structures react to magnetism on a molecular level resulting in
variations in electron activity.
• These low power consuming devices can sense not only the direction to the earth’s
magnetic poles, but also the angle of the flux field.
• They are free from oscillation that plagues a standard magnetic compass.
• They
feature
integrated
processing
algorithms
and easy
integration
with digital
systems.