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by adrianN 2702 days ago
That would be surprising as the altitude control should be independent from the compass. I'd also wager that more than just the compass is used to determine course. Most likely a sanity check in the control software will kick in and return control to the pilot, just as if the compass(es) broke for some reason during flight.
1 comments
rory096 2702 days ago
Primary heading indication is the directional gyro[0] anyway.

And magnetic flips don't happen "suddenly" in the timescale of a plane flight.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heading_indicator

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pbhjpbhj 2702 days ago
How fast are the flips. I've known about this effect for maybe a couple of decades, but never heard any theories on how fast the flip is.

If the flip is really slow, then that seems to lead to less human catastrophe, but more difficult perhaps for other species?

edit: s/far/fast

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adrianN 2702 days ago
The problem with the flips is that they go hand-in-hand with a dramatic weakening of the magnetic field until the new orientation is established. During that time solar storms are not deflected as well and vulnerable electronics will be fried.
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SketchySeaBeast 2702 days ago
If my new tv gets fried during the apocalypse I'm going to be pissed.
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