GIK-1 gyro-induction compass
Aircraft heading instrument
On display
A magnetic compass is accurate on average but swings in turns and accelerations; a gyroscope is steady but drifts with time. The GIK-1 linked the two: the gyro unit gives the instantaneous reading while an induction sensor in the wingtip slowly corrects its drift.
The instrument became standard on 1950s jets and stayed in service for decades. Its scheme — a fast unstable sensor plus a slow stable corrector — carries through to modern inertial systems corrected by satellite signals.
On display are the heading indicator, the gyro unit and the induction sensor as a set.
