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Vertical-card vs whiskey compass
The compass in my plane decided to spontaneously emit fluid all
over the glareshield the other day, so I'm looking at options for replacement. I've Googled for opinions on the vertical-card vs whiskey issue, and came away no wiser - anybody care to comment from fairly recent experience? This is for a VFR-only airplane without a DG. Thanks in advance, Henry Bibb |
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Henry Bibb wrote:
The compass in my plane decided to spontaneously emit fluid all over the glareshield the other day, so I'm looking at options for replacement. I've Googled for opinions on the vertical-card vs whiskey issue, and came away no wiser - anybody care to comment from fairly recent experience? Avionics West has a fairly detailed writeup of their experience with a vertical card compass: http://www.avionicswest.com/articles.htm According to this article, a vertical card compass is extremely delicate, and prone to being knocked out of service by any magnatized object coming into its proximity, even briefly. My compass isn't even broken, and I'm thinking of replacing it with this: http://www.vargaair.com/navigator.htm It would be worth the $200 just to be able to READ the darn thing, especially at night. Ross Oliver |
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"Ross Oliver" wrote:
According to this article, a vertical card compass is extremely delicate, and prone to being knocked out of service by any magnatized object coming into its proximity, even briefly. That isn't my experience. I love my vertical card compass, and wouldn't switch back for anything. -- Mike Granby, PP-ASEL,IA Warrior N44578 http://www.mikeg.net/plane |
#4
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Henry Bibb wrote:
The compass in my plane decided to spontaneously emit fluid all over the glareshield the other day, so I'm looking at options for replacement. I've Googled for opinions on the vertical-card vs whiskey issue, and came away no wiser - anybody care to comment from fairly recent experience? This is for a VFR-only airplane without a DG. Henry, I just replaced our Precision Vertical Card compass with a SIRS unit so this is still fresh in my mind. You have basically three options: 1) Standard Airpath "whiskey" compass (About $175) 2) Vertical Card (Precision about $225) 3) SIRS Navigator (http://www.sirsproducts.com/ ($215) I installed a SIRS because our 400+hour vertical card had developed errors that had become uncorrectable, it tended to stick occasionally in turns, and my avionics shop refused to install and warranty a new vertical card due to MANY customer complaints and warranty claims. As I see it, the chief benefits of the SIRS unit over the Airpath a 1) The rotating mass is smaller, and they use a lens to make the card appear as large as required by the TSO. The smaller mass reduces the acceleration/turning effects. I've seen this first hand. 2) Clear silicone fluid Vs. Kerosene. I don't know if the silicone fluid will discolor over the years, or whether it really damps the card oscillations, but at least if it leaks I won't have a flammable liquid running down into my radio stack. 3) The lighting is LED. LEDs draw less power for the light they produce and simply won't burn out in the operational lifetime of the compass (if not the airplane). One less thing to worry about. 4) And, for what it's worth, SIRS Navigation produces high-grade compasses for many industries, and a different model of this compass is used as the standby in the Concorde. Hope this helps, -Doug -- -------------------- Doug Vetter, CFIMEIA http://www.dvcfi.com -------------------- |
#5
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Henry
I replaced my whiskey with a vertical card compass about 6 months ago over the concerns of my A&P. It is fantastic, and the A& P's concerns were unfounded. It is much easier to read, more stable and the lighting is great for night flight... Joe "Henry Bibb" wrote in message ... The compass in my plane decided to spontaneously emit fluid all over the glareshield the other day, so I'm looking at options for replacement. I've Googled for opinions on the vertical-card vs whiskey issue, and came away no wiser - anybody care to comment from fairly recent experience? This is for a VFR-only airplane without a DG. Thanks in advance, Henry Bibb |
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