"The planet's northern magnetic pole is drifting slowly but steadily towards Russia -- and it's throwing off planes in Florida. ..."This is something that has been known for some time -- that the magnetic poles migrate, and even totally reverse polarity. It generally is seen as somewhat akin to watching glaciers move. I have topographical maps of the same region separated by 30 or more years, and the magnetic declination has changed significantly, but it rarely causes an impact except Boy Scouts who have to adjust their compasses in order to chart an accurate route.
What I am curious about is why, in the age of GPS satellites, is air travel still needing to use magnetic north for navigation?
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