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The Perfection of the Gyro-Magnetic Compass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

Extract

The pioneers of air navigation used a simple magnetic compass as a heading reference. At first boat or surveying compasses were used but these were not really satisfactory for use in aircraft, as engine vibration caused them to rotate. The first successful magnetic compass for aircraft use was the Creigh–Osborne compass which took to the air on 27 October 1909, in the British Army Aeroplane flown by the celebrated Col. S. F. Cody. In the years following and throughout World War I magnetic compasses based on this early work, with either horizontal or vertical cards, were widely used.

Type
Gyro-Magnetic Compass Systems
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 1965

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References

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