Compasses are 180 degrees out

[klem]

Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger

In real life aircraft, the Direction Indicator(gyrocompas) picks up errors due to gyroscopic progression. It needs to be corrected occasionally to be accurate. Don't know if the same errors occur in the sim. So even if your ground crew did set it, by the time you've finished your first cup of tea, it's probably out!

Cheers!

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/o...g/compass3.htm

Yep, I know that but I didn't expect it to be that far out

I can just about read the floating compass but I'm not sure it's readable for an accurate setting. Still we only need an indication most of the time.

When we talk about compasses of Spits and Hurries, can somebody help me a bit out in how to read it at all? I googled and didn't find much helpful information out there.

Here's a Spitfire compass: What direction does it indicate? 80° or 260°?

[bolox]

try this?
http://www.cixvfrclub.org.uk/downloa...%20Compass.pdf

so with the pic shown North is 80 deg clockwise from planes heading ie plane is heading 280.

in pic shown 'course setter' is North so to fly north turn right till the arm of the 'spider' with the cross on it is is pointing to the red N

[klem]

That's how you would normally set your course, set the graduated bezel to have the desired heading at 12 o'clock on the bezel/compass and turn until the cross-ended needle points to N (somewhere else around the bezel).

Conversely, to find out what heading you are actually flying turn the graduated bezel clockwise until N aligns with the (cross) end of the needle. Your heading is what now shows at the 12 0'clock position of the compass/bezel.

[effte]

Yup, it works. Mistaken on my part - didn't see the mag compass behind the stick so I assumed a flux valve of some sort. I'll go hide in shame now.

To make up for my rather hasty post, I checked whether there is gyro drift. There is, at around 15 deg/hour. Nice!