Do you use your magnetic compass?

Rocky wrote:

I've got two moving map GPSs, two VORs, DME, and the road grids to navigate
with -- any one of which is far more accurate than my whisky compass. And
the odds of losing all of those tools (including battery back-ups) are
almost nil.

Not to be disparaging by any means, but I've seen total electrical
equipment failure at least twice while IFR, and a few times while VFR.
I learned the use of the wet compass early in my flying career...it
was demanded by my old crusty CFI, and it has worked well to keep me
out of trouble in remote places. It has gotten me back on the ground
right side up in a Pawnee when I inadvertantly ran into early fog in
Louisiana back in the mid 60's. That was when I incorporated the use
of what I called Primitive Panel for training with all my following
Instrument students.
I even had to learn use of a sun compass in addition to all the rest
of the gages when flying up north. Yep there is still plenty of use
for the old wet compass all the new gadgets notwithstanding.

More significantly, when ATC gives you IFR vectors, they are at least trying
to take wind into account. If approach says "fly heading 250, vectors,
traffic" in strong winds and a slow plane, they might actually want you on a
*track* of anywhere between 220 and 280.

I agree with the original poster that it's unlikely that you'd have an
electrical failure (for the panel instruments) *and* a GPS outage (for the
handheld) at the same time, but it is still worth noting that there is just
one level of redundancy there, since everything but the handheld GPS depends
on the same electrical system.


All the best,


David