COMPASS SYSTEMS - DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION 1. General A.

The compass system is designed primarily to furnish the captain and first officer with information concerning the airplane's magnetic heading at all times during flight. Heading information is displayed on the airplane's compass cards and on the cards of the deviation indicators. Heading information is also fed to the autopilot, flight recorder, navigation systems, and steering computers. B. The compass system is duplicated, each system consisting of the following units: remote compass transmitter (flux valve), compensator, directional gyro, radio-magnetic direction indicator, servo-amplifier and slaving amplifier. The two amplifiers are contained in the compass racks, and the location of all units is shown in figure 1. C. Each RMI feeds heading information to a course deviation indicator (CDI) and the CDI's repeat the signals to a comparator unit so that any significant difference between the two systems may be readily observed. In the event the two signals differ by a certain predetermined value or more, the comparator warning light shows up on the instrument switching panel. D. A compass transfer switch is fitted to the instrument switching panel which permits the transfer of signals from either system to the other. There are three switch positions, BOTH ON COMP1, NORMAL, BOTH ON COMP-2. Two warning lights, one on the captain's instrument panel and the other on the first officer's will light up whenever the system is switched to BOTH ON COMP-1 or BOTH ON COMP-2. E. Test receptacles are provided to facilitate checkout of power supplies and signals within each system. These receptacles are located on the electronic equipment rack. (See figure 1.) 2. Flux Valve and Compensator (when installed) A. The flux valve contains a pendulous magnetic detector which senses the direction of the horizontal component of the earth's magnetic field and utilizes this reference to generate an ac signal representative of the airplane's magnetic heading. B. The compensator is mounted on the flux valve. It is a separate unit which is designed to counteract the effect of stray magnetic fields, if any, in the vicinity of the flux valve. N-S and EW adjustment screws are provided on the unit for this purpose.