thumb|A fluxgate inclinometer/compass
The basic fluxgate compass is a simple electromagnetic device that employs two or more small coils of wire around a core of highly permeable magnetic material, to directly sense the direction of the horizontal component of the Earth's magnetic field. The advantages of this mechanism over a magnetic compass are that the reading is in electronic form and can be digitised and transmitted easily, displayed remotely, and used by an electronic autopilot for course correction.
thumb|Flux valve of a type of fluxgate compass used on airplanes.
thumb|The current in each of the three pickup coils changes with the heading of the aircraft. the fluxgate compass was invented by the Eclipse-Pioneer Division of [[Bendix Corporation|Bendix in 1943.
References
See also
- Fluxgate magnetometer for more details on the measurement method.