Hello from New England

[FlyingSquirrel]

Hello, long-time Decathlon pilot, new owner of a mid-90s 8KCAB I fly in the MA area. I've rented for years, enjoying finally owning my own and looking forward to the summer's flying.

My airplane is in great shape for its age (I'm used to rentals!) and I've survived the first annual, but there is one quirk. The compass would benefit from degaussing the tubing framing the windshield. I've investigated it enough to be focused on the magnetized tubing rather than fiddling with the compass. Problem is, this seems to be a lost art-- everyone knows about it, but no one's actually done it. Internet searches turn up some info, but it's all a bit sketchy-- I'm envisioning electrocution by homemade degaussers, frying my panel gauges, or just magnetizing everything even more. Any guidance or pointers to info or people with experience in this appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Bartman]

Hello and welcome!

Have you come across suggestions to use a Tig welder to run current through the airframe? I think the rick is to hook it up at opposite ends of the fuselage and run ac current through the tubes to demagnetize everything. not sure what electronic/electric devices would need to be disconnected. they weld cars with everything installed so maybe everything would be ok, a detail probably worth figuring out ahead of time!

 

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thanks, no, don't recall hearing that one but I may have dismissed it as too drastic to consider. I think I'd insist on being the *second* airplane they'd successfully done that with.

 

[Bartman]

I don't blame you! they do it though, i was looking through biplaneforums.com for degaussing ideas related to tig welders but nothing there. guys that weld up their own steel tube fuselage frames will then use the tig welder to degauss the steel.