I’m just wondering as I learned that the new iPhone 12 comes with a whole set of neodym magnets on its rear side, whether this might influence the old Whiskey compass or even AHRS data from some retrofit glass panel instruments.
For example, the Aspen 1000 has two sets of sensors, one in the remote sensor box, and one in the display unit. I don’t know how the setups are in other retrofit panel mount displays.
Actually I was planning to put the phone into my panel during flight, however stepping away from that idea. Does anybody can provide some educated guess on this? Well I could in fact myself, but the question to be answered without field test: Is this a noticeble influence, so to say, enough to disturb?
I learned from reading that in particular the Aspen seems to be quite a bit touchy on magnets, but don’t know if this is only true with respect to the Remote box, or also with respect to the display unit. And although I like doing testing myself, I dislike throwing my money out of the window and rather ask here, before having to readjust or replace some costly avionics.
The “compass” for a slaved compass system will be a fluxgate mounted in the wingtip (or in some types in the tail) so nowhere near the instrument panel.
In an Aspen, the fluxgate is in the RSM (remote sensor module) which normally goes on the roof, and this could be affected by someone in the cockpit holding a magnetic object near it from the inside. Aspen had loads of problems with the RSM…
The electronics inside the Aspen panel mount box will include the AHRS which is three rate gyros and three accelerometers and these are not affected by magnetic fields.
