Matt Barrow wrote:
wrote in message
And how many died because they navigated by compass alone and got hopelessly
lost or ran into something...like a mountain?

People who run into mountains aren't using their eyes, much less
the compass. That's what VFR minima are for. Anyone in the mountains in
low viz is likely to die and it's not the compass' (or the
government's) fault. IFR minima require a flight altitude 2000' above
the peaks.
As I said befo Your fancy electronics (and gyros, too) can
die from any number of diseases, leaving you with only your magnetic
compass, and if it isn't accurate (and you don't have your VNC handy
and know exactly where you are) you might regret it. At least the mag
compass will continue to work much more reliably than the electronics.
ELTs are another item often ignored, and we've heard the stories
of the guys down in the bush, watching the search planes fly over
looking for that needle in the haystack while they think about their
ELT with the long-expired battery. They've just bought the farm for the
price of an ELT battery and recertification. The diaries they leave
behind are sad.

Dan