Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Compass Card Deviation…important?

Asked by: 6321 views General Aviation, Student Pilot

Is taking into account compass card deviation that important?  I have been told it doesn't matter that much and not to worry about it when plotting my course.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer


    Kent Shook on Oct 30, 2010

    When plotting your course (that is, drawing a line on the sectional) you should not yet be considering compass card deviation – That’s a later step in the process.

    However, the answer is “it depends on the airplane.” Some airplanes have compasses that are nearly perfect. However, other airplanes have compasses that can be quite far off in some quadrants. I’m not sure if there’s a maximum allowable deviation before a compass must be replaced, but I know I’ve flown an airplane that was 20 degrees off in one quadrant.

    So, yes it can be significant, and yes you should take it into account when filling out a navigation log and finding your desired headings.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Jason Schappert on Oct 30, 2010

    Lindsay,
    Deviation is important and will vary from aircraft to aircraft on various headings. However typically you will see only 1 to 2 degree deviations
     
    Jason

    +2 Votes Thumb up 3 Votes Thumb down 1 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.