For those who want the details, they are below. The TL;DR is: I need to replace my compass. Does this fall under pilot-performed maintenance like basic R&R of other instruments, or does this one need an A&P or even a specialist avionics shop? I am unsure due to the fact compasses are calibrated, and whether that happens at the factory or upon installation.
Full story: So I lost my bird strike virginity a couple nights ago. Descending through 4800 MSL (~3500 AGL) at nearly 11pm, in total darkness in Middle-Of-Nowhere, South Dakota, I hear this earth-shattering BANG! that reverberated through the whole plane. My first instinctual reaction was the engine came apart and I was going to be trying to put it down with basically no ground reference in rolling hilly terrain. But thankfully, the engine kept purring along, controls were normal, and everything seemed totally fine. My destination was less than 20 nm away and was my closest airport, so I continued on and the conclusion of the flight was uneventful.
It was only after I shut down and got out that I noticed guts and feathers on the right windscreen. I felt better having an explanation for the explosion-like sound, and there did not seem to be any obvious damage. (To the plane, anyway...the bird paid dearly for staying up past its bedtime.) But in the light of day the next day, I discovered the compass mount had cracked clean in half, presumably a result of the "shockwave" through the center windscreen bracket. See picture.
Full story: So I lost my bird strike virginity a couple nights ago. Descending through 4800 MSL (~3500 AGL) at nearly 11pm, in total darkness in Middle-Of-Nowhere, South Dakota, I hear this earth-shattering BANG! that reverberated through the whole plane. My first instinctual reaction was the engine came apart and I was going to be trying to put it down with basically no ground reference in rolling hilly terrain. But thankfully, the engine kept purring along, controls were normal, and everything seemed totally fine. My destination was less than 20 nm away and was my closest airport, so I continued on and the conclusion of the flight was uneventful.
It was only after I shut down and got out that I noticed guts and feathers on the right windscreen. I felt better having an explanation for the explosion-like sound, and there did not seem to be any obvious damage. (To the plane, anyway...the bird paid dearly for staying up past its bedtime.) But in the light of day the next day, I discovered the compass mount had cracked clean in half, presumably a result of the "shockwave" through the center windscreen bracket. See picture.
