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Magnetic Effect on a Compass

As you know, no Lone Goose 5-In-1 Flight Timer has a magnet! Now, how important is that? My reason for keeping a mounting magnet off the timer is the navigational effect a magnet brought into an aircraft does have on the compass. But even though we all know a magnet will effect a compass, I couldn't find any information on how much -- not through the FAA or any other immediate information source. So I did my own experiment to prove that the magnets in timers often sold for light aircraft use can and do cause compass deviation.

I've included the graphic results of my experiment below.

I used an Airpath compass, the glare shield mount style kind found in most production aircraft. I affixed this compass to the head of an aluminum tripod. I attached a clear plastic rule to rotate around the compass axis and brought a magnet (the kind embedded in timers sold by many pilot supply stores) into range. At 13 inches, the compass began to move—about 1°. At 12 inches, the deviation was 3° and, as you can see in the diagram I've included, the error leaped as the timer came closer to the compass.

Because there is no magnet, my Lone Goose 5-In-1 Flight Timer will never cause compass deviation! In fact, we could say that the Lone Goose 5-In-1 Flight Timer is a timer that won¹t steer you off course!
 

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