Talk:Aircraft compass turns

This article uses the terminology "standard rate turn" - is this a "Rate 1 turn" in UK parlance - i.e. 180 degrees in 1 minute? If so, is the formula for this not (TAS / 10) + 7, not + 5 as in the article?

Do people really perform gyro-less turns using a calculation method as described in the article? Surely timed turns at three seconds per 10 degrees with a fudge for rolling-in/out are much simpler? I ask because this is the way they're taught in the UK.

Finally, "When the aircraft is at any altitude above the earth's surface the compass will tend to dip towards either the North Pole when in the northern hemisphere": the author's wording of this implies that there is no dip at the surface. This is not so. Possibly this is something that the author did not intend to imply.

BaseTurnComplete 23:04, 31 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Yes, a standard rate turn is 3 degrees per second = 180 degrees per minute = 360 degrees in 2 minutes. I've also heard this described as a 'two-minute turn'.  My Jeppesen manual says that the formula is indeed (TAS / 10) + 5.
 * I've been taught to make no-gyro turns both ways (calculation and time), and for me, the timed-turn method is far simpler. I guess it's a personal thing.
 * Yvh11a 22:09, 23 January 2006 (UTC)


 * "When the aircraft is at any altitude above the earth's surface... this implies that there is no dip at the surface. This is not so." I agree it could be read that way. Article updated. 86.30.138.116 (talk) 17:19, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

Gentlemen I've corrected this article as follows: 1. Removed turn coordinator as directional instrument, because the TC is not one. 2. Added some to magnetic dip effect description. 3. Corrected compass lead/lag info and expected error angle. 4. Standard turn explanation added. 5. Given formula for standard turn is useful when turn coordinator or turn-slip indicator fails.

I suggest that the title of this article shall be changed. It encompasses more than turns and more than turns made with magnetic compass. Or perhaps it shall be split.Slawomir123

cause of compass deviation: weight and inertia vs north-seeking tip swinging downward
I've seen this in many explanations for acceleration error, but it never made sense. A compass is balanced. That's how it is precise. But many texts explain that acceleration error is caused by 'inertia's affect on the compass.' Inertia would have an equal affect on a balanced compass, so this looses credibility very quickly. I am more inclined to believe in the north-seeking tip swinging downward as explained very well in the linked page at the bottom of the article: http://williams.best.vwh.net/compass/node5.html Itismike (talk) 01:45, 19 August 2011 (UTC)
 * That explanation seems credible but I don't think that page meets the reliable source criteria. Perhaps we could document both explanations if a suitable reference can be found? For now I've added an inline citation to the FAA Handbook. Their explanation makes sense because the inertia of the weight when accelerating generates a horizontal force but the magnetic forces are unchanged. 86.30.138.116 (talk) 12:11, 29 November 2012 (UTC)
 * After further research I've found a reference. The 2012 edition of the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook has removed all previous mentions of a dip compensation weight and talks instead about the pendulous mounting arrangement of the compass bowl. This supersedes the previous reference so I'll update the article accordingly. 86.30.138.116 (talk) 10:23, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Very interesting. Thanks for finding the updated resource.Itismike (talk) 14:37, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Aircraft compass turns. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090312092600/http://williams.best.vwh.net/compass/node4.html to http://williams.best.vwh.net/compass/node4.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090203134255/http://williams.best.vwh.net/compass/node5.html to http://williams.best.vwh.net/compass/node5.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 06:47, 23 January 2018 (UTC)