3 ms·
wouldn't a simple compass have sufficed if they weren't off route?
by gcb0 8y ago
wouldn't a simple compass have sufficed if they weren't off route?
- dproblem 8y agoInverting compass readings into position is highly problematic because of interference, and noise.
- gonzo41 8y agoThere'd probably be too much metal / electrical interference for a regular compass to work.
- gruez 8y agoPlanes don’t have built in compasses? edit: yes they do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_instruments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_instruments
- danaliv 8y agoAirplane compasses are indeed affected by the electrical system, but not so much as to make them unusable. A maintenance process known colloquially as "swinging the compass" involves turning on the electronics, positioning the aircraft over a compass rose painted on the ground, and noting the error at various bearings. As for the metal, most metal airframes are aluminum.
- hermitdev 8y agoA compass would probably be of marginal utility if you're flying a "great circle" route across an ocean. For instance, if you were to fly non-stop from Chicago to London, your initial route will have you heading north east, but at the end, you'll be heading south east.
- HarryHirsch 8y agoThat's why ships would follow a loxodrome instead of a great circle route. They'd still arrive in port, though.
- mjlee 8y agoWhile this is true, an aircraft has very critical fuel requirements - taking a longer and less efficient route combined with a faulty navigation system is a factor best avoided.
- ninkendo 8y agoI was about to correct you sand say "no, they'd follow a rhumb line", but then I looked it up and realized they're two terms for the same thing. TIL!
- danaliv 8y agoAll airplanes (or almost all? I'm sure someone will know of an exception) have compasses. But without data on wind direction and speed, a compass isn't much good over any appreciable distance. Once off the ground, an airplane is like a boat crossing a swift river. The boat won't land where it's pointed; it'll move with the current as it crosses and end up landing downstream of where it's pointed. So it is with airplanes. They don't fly where they're pointed; they move with the wind as they fly.