4 ms·

And whatever you do, don't forget your manual compass deviation rules: accelerate north, decelerate south Trivia note: I believe the standard compass is called

And whatever you do, don't forget your manual compass deviation rules: accelerate north, decelerate south Trivia note: I believe the standard compass is called a "whiskey compass". Not sure why. Probably because if that's all the nav gear you got working you'll probably be using copious quantities of whiskey after landing. (Actually if memory serves I believe the early compasses floated in whiskey. No doubt this practice did not last very long. I think they use kerosene now)

pavel_lishin 16y ago
"We wouldn't be lost if Bob here hadn't drank the compass."
jcl 16y ago
The explanation I have read is that it is a "wet compass" (a ball floating in liquid), which was abbreviated "W compass", which is pronounced "whiskey compass" in the NATO phonetic alphabet that pilots use. I doubt whiskey was ever used to fill them, since even water would have worked better in terms of cost, transparency, evaporation, or boiling point.
- pdx 16y ago
  I suspect it would have been freezing point that was most important, and whiskey was a readily available source of low freezing point liquid.
- DanielBMarkham 16y ago
  I've read that as well. Just trying to share a little FBO-lore. It's common to tell the whiskey compass story in the fashion I have. http://iflyasa.com/2009/10/11/whiskey-compass/ http://iflyasa.com/2009/10/11/whiskey-compass/ I was aiming for tone, not accuracy. There are all sorts of topics that pilots discuss with great vim and vigor. I was trying to convey that feeling. Looks like I missed the boat.
ZoFreX 16y ago
I doubt any pilot would forget their grid north / magnetic north conversions. I hope not, anyway. That stuff got drilled into us in the cadets.
- robryan 16y ago
  Isn't that the same problem though? Easier from them to do one calculation on the ground in advance rather than pilots having to worry about a conversion in the air.
  - metageek 16y ago
    Particularly since the pilot would still have to look up the local conversion, since it varies from place to place.

pavel_lishin 16y ago

"We wouldn't be lost if Bob here hadn't drank the compass."

jcl 16y ago

The explanation I have read is that it is a "wet compass" (a ball floating in liquid), which was abbreviated "W compass", which is pronounced "whiskey compass" in the NATO phonetic alphabet that pilots use. I doubt whiskey was ever used to fill them, since even water would have worked better in terms of cost, transparency, evaporation, or boiling point.

pdx 16y ago
I suspect it would have been freezing point that was most important, and whiskey was a readily available source of low freezing point liquid.
DanielBMarkham 16y ago
I've read that as well. Just trying to share a little FBO-lore. It's common to tell the whiskey compass story in the fashion I have. http://iflyasa.com/2009/10/11/whiskey-compass/ http://iflyasa.com/2009/10/11/whiskey-compass/ I was aiming for tone, not accuracy. There are all sorts of topics that pilots discuss with great vim and vigor. I was trying to convey that feeling. Looks like I missed the boat.

ZoFreX 16y ago

I doubt any pilot would forget their grid north / magnetic north conversions. I hope not, anyway. That stuff got drilled into us in the cadets.

robryan 16y ago
Isn't that the same problem though? Easier from them to do one calculation on the ground in advance rather than pilots having to worry about a conversion in the air.
- metageek 16y ago
  Particularly since the pilot would still have to look up the local conversion, since it varies from place to place.