Drone exam · UAS general knowledge

A pilot sees warnings for GNSS and compass but the inertial measurement unit reports normal. Why does that not mean every navigation function is unaffected?

Answer

Different sensors provide different information. The IMU can still measure motion and attitude while heading or absolute position information is degraded, so position hold, navigation, and automated recovery may be limited or unavailable.

Explanation

Sensor redundancy is not the same as sensor interchangeability. An accelerometer cannot supply a valid satellite position, and a gyroscope cannot replace magnetic heading over time.