compass swing

noun

The process of swinging and compensating a ship or aircraft compass by determining and reducing the deviation coefficients and recording the residual deviations; now done by computer.

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Meanings

nouncompass swing (uncountable)
  1. uncountablenauticalThe process of swinging and compensating a ship or aircraft compass by determining and reducing the deviation coefficients and recording the residual deviations; now done by computer.

    This advisory circular (AC) describes procedures for calibrating an aircraft magnetic compass to minimize the effect of aircraft-induced magnetic fields. These procedures are often referred to as “swinging the compass” or a “compass swing.”

    2017, Federal Aviation Administration, “Standardized Procedures for Performing Aircraft Magnetic Compass Calibration”, in Advisory Circular, numbers 43-215, page 1
Cite this entry
APA

compass swing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compass%20swing

MLA

“compass swing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compass%20swing. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “compass swing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compass%20swing.

Source: compass swing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.