.

Just curious, Inquiring Mind - - "USA" covers an awful lot of territory, so I'm wondering what part of it you typically fly over?

Pilotage is especially easy here in Colorado with the Rockies staring back at you.
 
Just curious, Inquiring Mind - - "USA" covers an awful lot of territory, so I'm wondering what part of it you typically fly over?
WaspAir, I'm at the coast of North East. Lot of lakes, mountains, highways, seashore, plenty of easily recognizable landmarks.
I might consider keeping the compass installed on top of GDL-50 over center console, but honestly I don't see any use for it.

Pilotage is especially easy here in Colorado with the Rockies staring back at you.

Yeah, great places to fly around, but too far to drive with the trailer.
 
We used to have a DAR here in Utah, a retired FAA employee, who also insisted on a magnetic compass on machines he inspected. Our PRA chapter almost bought one which could be loaned out and attached with velcro, just for the inspections.

I can see both sides of this debate. I think about the guys who trailer minimalist machines out to dry lakes here in the west to fly on weekends. They often stay within visual line-of-sight of the trailers that brought them. They're too heavy and fast to be ultralights, but their mission profile is the same. They have N-numbers, but a compass is not required for this kind of flying.

If you're relying on multiple redundant electronic devices for navigation, a dedicated, calibrated compass seems like a pretty easy decision. I've been listening recently to podcasts from commercial drone pilots, and they all say they've been surprised by dead batteries when using phones and tablets in cold weather, as one example of a failure mode.
 
They often stay within visual line-of-sight of the trailers that brought them. They're too heavy and fast to be ultralights, but their mission profile is the same. They have N-numbers, but a compass is not required for this kind of flying.
PW-Plack, recenly I flew almost 1400 miles in 15 hours at 500-1500 ft AGL from Gulf Coast to North East, not a single time I felt a need to look at the compass during whole trip, so I guess "a compass is not required for this kind of flying" either.

Battery freezing is not a concern at all, as all the ipads powered by generators power, and if both generators are dead I'm not flying anyway, as engine is dead too.

BTW, I had to build myself a USB power supply for ipads, as the ones I initially installed happens to be so radio-noisy, it was impossible to use the radio.
That thing generates a lot of noise in the intercom when charging current is high :
1573064018250.png
https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/usb-adapter.php
 
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Is that an MGL EFIS? If so it probably has an electronic magnetic compass (magnetometer) connected to it. Here in SA the CAA accepts a magnetometer as a replacement for a normal magnetic compass. Not sure about the FAA, it will be country specific.
 
The flight would be illegal in the U.S. even if you had color weather radar, deicing on the rotor head, back-up vacuum pumps, and a three-axis autopilot on a Magni.
 
it probably has an electronic magnetic compass (magnetometer) connected to it.

My iPads + iPhone have integrated electronic magnetic compass (magnetometer) too, but people keep telling me I need mechanical "dedicated" magnetic compass of "any size or type or price" .
 
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A panel in Italy might not be relevant to the discussion of a panel in the USA due to the different regulations.

If it is not in the regulations, then the primary navigation device is a personal choice. This thread has been great since it showed some of the choices people have made in regards to their own navigation setups.

Personally I also prefer navigating using a tablet. Bang for buck it offers more features than a traditional aviation GPS. But I do keep in the back of my mind that a tablet was never meant for this application, and has not been hardened for aviation use like an aviation magnetic compass / EFIS / GPS / magnetometer. A search online indeed reveals a lot of complaints for example Ipads dying in the cockpit due to overheating (They don't like direct sunlight for too long) and other issues. Redundancy is thus vital, whether it be a magnetic compass, your phone, a standalone GPS, or even a watch (Garmin D2). And that you have.

P.s. have you checked out this video by James Ketchell who flew around the world in his Magni M16, in which he describes his technical setup for the trip? He also mostly preferred the tablet:
 
A search online indeed reveals a lot of complaints for example Ipads dying in the cockpit due to overheating

I thought about it too, easy to resolve - add laptop coolers under ipads, something like that:

P.s. have you checked out this video by James Ketchell

No I have not. I only saw pictures and couple of videos he posted on FB during his trip. If I were flying around the world or over a large body of water, I would not mind to have magnetic mechanical compass onboard.
 
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Thanks to all of you who advised me not remove the compass from my gyro, I ordered Kanardia HORIS + MAGU (3D magnetometer) , which will replace my current Kanardia Combo indicator (ASI, ALtitude, QNH, VSI).

What actually sold me on HORIS + MAGU combo is its ability to show actual wind speed and direction in real time (right above IAS numbers on the screen).
A compass is a freebie here.
 
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I have used Winter ASIs in many, many sailplanes and they have always worked extremely well.
 
My panel is going to look decidedly naked with no ‘steam driven round dial gages.

But then I was hesitant when I first specced our Citation V panel. Efis on the left, old school left.

Couple of years later both sides of the Citation Excel were glass.

Few thousand hrs later... still happy...new build gyro, glass.
 
I don't know. I'm going to get Sport Pilot license and have no plans , desire or need to fly in IMC ever.

I'd like to have an IFR rating for a gyroplane. It makes long distance travel more reliable. And one might argue its safer than skud running in class G. That said, I don't want to cost of IFR instruments in my gyro.
 
Nice panel! The fuel flow and gauge are really nice to have. Wow, rotor brake light too. Sportcopter could use that.
 
Nice panel! The fuel flow and gauge are really nice to have. Wow, rotor brake light too. Sportcopter could use that.
Thanks, Dave!
I think I will make one more change and then stop messing with it. Now I have 3 fuel level indicators, it is one too many, so lower left Fuel Flow totalizer might be replaced with Slave Horis from Kanardia.
 
I'd like to have an IFR rating for a gyroplane. It makes long distance travel more reliable. And one might argue its safer than skud running in class G. That said, I don't want to cost of IFR instruments in my gyro.
Unfortunately, there's no such thing. The FAA doesn't offer gyro instrument ratings or approve instrument flight in gyros with any other instrument rating.
 
yeah...I'm an instrument rated PPL fixed wing...and I've been head scratching on that for a while now. Don't really get it....except that most gyros I see on the market would be ill suited for it with their uncovered open cockpits and all...
still, for low VFR to light IFR type conditions having the capability to just file would be useful for sure.

Just curious...for scud running, how slow can these gyros comfortably cruise...on the low end?
 
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