Compass Card

Erice

Erice

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Oct 1, 2006
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Hamburg, PA
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Erice
Here's a hypothetical question . . .

If a compass card (showing the deviation corrections for the 12 headings) were to fall off, or otherwise go missing, would the airplane be unairworthy? Does the A&P performing a compass swing normally keep a copy of the compass card in any records (like the airplane logbook)?
 
Yes, unairworthy. Ours fell off, our mechanic fixed it and provided a copy that was put in the aircraft logs so a copy machine and a piece of tape could fix the problem in the future.
 
To answer the second question, while I have seen on rare occasion an entry in the airframe log with the results of a compass swing, it's not required, and I've never heard of a mechanic keeping his/her own record of it. IOW, it's going to be pretty much up to the owner to keep that record if desired.
 
Thanks for the replies. It would appear to be wise for the owner/operator to make a copy of (or digital photo of) the compass card in the event it should ever turn up missing.
 
Um, I'm almost positive mine was missing when I paid for a check out in the rental 172.

Then again, in both planes, the correction is often close to one degree. With our old heading indicators that would be hard to steer - one degree off.
 
Erice said:
Thanks for the replies. It would appear to be wise for the owner/operator to make a copy of (or digital photo of) the compass card in the event it should ever turn up missing.
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Noooooo...thank you for this post. Because of it, I looked in my logbooks and saw that the compass swing was entered but the deviations weren't. So, I wrote down the deviations adjacent to the compass swing logbook entry.

Not that I've actually LOOKED at the deviation card in the five years since my compass has been swung anyway but that's a whole 'nother topic.
 
Richard said:
Nice wording...you didn't say you actually flew an unairworthy aircraft.
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True but why would any flight school rent out a plane that was unairworthy?

I will have to ask someone there today (I'm not flying that plane - thank goodness- I'm instead flying the 152 with fellow POA member, Mari everskyward)
 
Glue an extra copy to the bottom of the pilots seat where it will never be disturbed. That way you are always going to be legal.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Glue an extra copy to the bottom of the pilots seat where it will never be disturbed. That way you are always going to be legal.
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Not really,, all placards must be in sight of the pilot.

Many A&Ps are now using a label maker program to make maintenance record entry stickies, and saving the label in their computer. call the A&P see if he has it saved.
 
Tom-D said:
Not really,, all placards must be in sight of the pilot.
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I think he was saying you could un-glue it from the bottom of the seat and slap it to the appropriate location on the panel/compass. :)

Seems easier just to keep a spare in the glove box if it's falling off THAT often, though. :)
 
Look at it this way, it's a given you'll be flying an 'unairworthy' aircraft. Your task is to perform a pre-flight inspection to make the aircraft as less unairworthy as practical.

Your training, experience, experience with the aircraft, and knowledge of the regs will aid in accomplishing the task.
 
I should bring this to my friends attention.... When I saw his plane recently, I dont recall seeing the compass card.
 
Richard said:
Look at it this way, it's a given you'll be flying an 'unairworthy' aircraft. Your task is to perform a pre-flight inspection to make the aircraft as less unairworthy as practical.

Your training, experience, experience with the aircraft, and knowledge of the regs will aid in accomplishing the task.
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This is the truth.

Tear into any plane and you will find it unairworthy.
 
Ditto to this thread.

Yep, unairworthy,

Yes make and keep a copy (I have one typed into the tracking sheet for each plane I take care of)

Kim, compass cards are often overlooked

Capt Ron, it can even be as simple as not getting renters to write up discrepancy reports (a personal pet peeve)

And again correct, there really is no such thing as an "airworthy" airplane. Give me enough time and I can find a problem, somewhere. To steal from Animal farm, some are just "more" unairworthy than others
 
Skylane81E said:
Ditto to this thread.

Yep, unairworthy,

Yes make and keep a copy (I have one typed into the tracking sheet for each plane I take care of)

Kim, compass cards are often overlooked

Capt Ron, it can even be as simple as not getting renters to write up discrepancy reports (a personal pet peeve)

And again correct, there really is no such thing as an "airworthy" airplane. Give me enough time and I can find a problem, somewhere. To steal from Animal farm, some are just "more" unairworthy than others
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Thanks and I just remembered - it was HALF missing (the part that hung down past the whole thing). Does half count? And if not, since I was with a CFI for a check-out, would it have been on him or on me now that I'm logging PIC and dual instead of just dual?
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks and I just remembered - it was HALF missing (the part that hung down past the whole thing). Does half count? And if not, since I was with a CFI for a check-out, would it have been on him or on me now that I'm logging PIC and dual instead of just dual?
Click to expand...

No..... it was all there and we can't prove any different. neither can the FAA (Right)
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
True but why would any flight school rent out a plane that was unairworthy?

I will have to ask someone there today (I'm not flying that plane - thank goodness- I'm instead flying the 152 with fellow POA member, Mari everskyward)
Click to expand...


Life lesson:

Whenever the question is "why would anybody....."
the answer is often "Money."
 
Skylane81E said:
Capt Ron, it can even be as simple as not getting renters to write up discrepancy reports (a personal pet peeve)
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Good point. Flight schools and FBO's renting planes should have an easy-to-use system for reporting and tracking discrepancies. If they make it painful and time-consuming for the customer, the customer isn't going to do it. If it is quick and simple, and the flight school/FBO is appropriately responsive, the customers will do their part; if nothing else, it's in their own interest to have a plane where everything works properly.
 
for a long time i didn't have a compass card in the glider, but it wasn't required. eventually i just got rid of the compass and solved the problem
 
Along the compass card discussion, something I recently discoverd after installing a Vertical Card Compass is that you still need a compass card......at least, I haven't been able to find anything that says a vertical card is exempt from the requirement.

I would have to honestly say that I have never seen a card on any of the airplanes I've flown that had it installed.....in fact, I've even done two different checkrides in such airplanes and the examiners never mentioned it.

Am I correct or incorrect in believing that a vertical card requires the deviation card?
 
Ron Levy said:
Good point. Flight schools and FBO's renting planes should have an easy-to-use system for reporting and tracking discrepancies. If they make it painful and time-consuming for the customer, the customer isn't going to do it. If it is quick and simple, and the flight school/FBO is appropriately responsive, the customers will do their part; if nothing else, it's in their own interest to have a plane where everything works properly.
Click to expand...

Ours is easy, grab the sheet, write your name, the date, the N number and what's wrong...


I still find things like shattered landing lights on inspections:rolleyes2:
 
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