Magnetic personality
vasrv7a said:
Am I supposed to degauss the sliding canopy somehow? Or do I just swing the compass as best as I can with the canopy closed?, Victor
Yes by all means. By its very nature steel gets magnetized. You know that. You need a degausser. How do you do it?
http://www.sacskyranch.com/degaussi.htm
Rent it
http://www.sacskyranch.com/degauss.htm
(get 5 guys and it cost $20 each with shipping?)
Now can a big canopy frame or canopy roll bar bow be demagnetized, degaussed with this thing? I don't know for sure? At least beg borrow or buy a magnetometer and see if the frame is magnetized. I would guess if we really where serious about it, we would make a big plywood box and use coils around it to demagnetize the whole thing at once. That would be a project for a physics major who knows magnetic theory real well.
Look at Grounded for a long time (dated 2005-08-09)
http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/archives/2005/08/09/grounded-for-a-long-time/
This guy claims his plane got magnetized by a lightning strike while parked. Could be. He also says if a plane with a steel tube frame becomes magnetized it may be scrap because of difficulty in degaussing! Hummm never heard that but could also be true.
I don't know but we know steel tube can be magnetized and you can degauss it. Now how effective I don't know. What equipment do you need? You may want to talk to an avionics shop or write Sacramento Sky Ranch.
In WWII whole ships where degaussed (remove residual magnetism) to make them less susceptible to magnetic mines. They wrapped coils around the boat or floated over coils in the sea bed. So degaussing of large steal structure can be done.
Last I will say you don't need compass.
Yes I said it. Forget it. You have a GPS that gives you track, which is better than heading in every way. Unless you want to do dead reckoning with the GPS turned off, than the compass does what for you. Also as an experimental VFR at least you don't need it despite what part 91.205 says. To be honest I am not saying to leave it out altogether, only that do the best you can, it is not super critical. Swing it and write a deviation card. If it is 20 degrees off it is 20 degrees off. Remember it is engine running and electrical on.