I just had the most realistic dream. In the dream my Bonanza compass had lost
all of its fluid and was looking pretty sad. Concluding that the compass
needed to be replaced, I found a couple of well-respected aviation supply
websites that sold new compasses for a price. However, right there below the
new compasses I spotted what was labeled in my dream a compass repair kit
that sold for less than a tenth of the new compass price. After asking other
pilot/owners in my dream about this, I learned that these safe and
rule-abiding pilots experienced dreams of successfully rebuilding their
compasses.

So in this dream, I decided to buy and try the compass repair kit, knowing
that I could never do this in real life since sometimes the FAA still
operates from rules carved in stone back in the '60s and '70s. When the
package arrived from UPS Brown (yes, I dream in color), I eagerly ran up to
my kitchen table with the kit and compass in hand and proceeded to
disassemble the compass, even though this repair kit was missing a promised
instruction sheet. I was now crossing the rope without a net.

This is where the dream got interesting. In taking the compass apart, I
discovered that the diaphragm in the back of the compass was quite brittle
and torn, which was the source of the leaked fluid. Fortunately the repair
kit came with a shiny new diaphragm for the back and two seals for the glass
on the front of the compass along with a bottle of "official" compass oil
that could fill more than two empty compasses. With only three different
sized flat-head screwdrivers and fifteen minutes of my time, the compass was
back together and filled to the threads with compass fluid. Once again, it
looked happy.

At the conclusion of the dream I awoke smiling, but alas this joy was quickly
grounded upon receiving a real life call from my mechanic telling me that the
alternator clutch needed to be replaced. Such is but one story of the trials
and tribulations of aircraft ownership.

--
Peter