Aircraft Compass Flight Instrument

A magnetic aircraft compass works with the Earth’s magnetic field to aid in navigation. It consists of magnetic bars generally suspended in fluid an attached to a compass card with directions and degrees marked. An airplane diagram, called a lubber line, aids in reading the compass heading. Another type of compass is the gyro compass that uses a spinning gyroscope instead of magnets to show the aircraft heading. A more elaborate compass combines the gyro and magnetic compass and is called a slaved gyro or flux gate compass system.