TRAINEE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED IN IMC. INSTRUCTOR PLT BECAME ORIENTED; TOOK CTL OF ACFT AND RECEIVED VECTORS TO COURSE FROM APCH.

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I WAS ON A TRAINING FLT WITH A STUDENT WORKING ON HIS INST INSTRUCTOR RATING. THE STUDENT AND I ARE GOOD FRIENDS AND USED TO BE ROOMMATES. THIS FRIENDSHIP HAD A PART IN THE INCIDENT DUE TO MY RELUCTANCE TO POINT OUT ANY MISTAKES ON HIS PART. WE WERE ON A LCL IFR CLRNC FOR HOLDING AND APCHS AT MLB. WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO MLB VOR FOR HOLDING. AFTER THE TURN TO THE VOR; THE STUDENT PERFORMED A DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE TO MAGNETIC COMPASS CHK. THE STUDENT HAD NOT FLOWN IN IMC CONDITIONS FOR SOME TIME AND HIS INST SCAN LEFT A LOT TO BE DESIRED. HIS ALT WAS PLUS OR MINUS 200 FT AT TIMES. UNFORTUNATELY; AFTER THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE CHK; THE ADJUSTMENT KNOB GOT STUCK IN AND THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS FREELY TURNING. THE SUBSEQUENT TURNING TO CATCH HDGS; FIDDLING WITH THE VOR; AND THE CONSTANT CLBS AND DSCNTS HAD US BOTH DISORIENTED. A DANGEROUS SIT IN IMC. I EVENTUALLY REALIZED THE PROB WITH THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AFTER CHKING THE MAGNETIC COMPASS. WE WERE ALMOST 180 DEGS OFF OUR ORIGINAL HDG. I TOOK THE ACFT FROM THE STUDENT; CONTACTED PATRICK APCH AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE PROB AND ASKED FOR A VECTOR. WE FIXED THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AND CONTINUED THE FLT WITH NO OTHER PROBS. THIS FLT HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT EXPERIENCE IN THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE WARY OF AN ACFT I HAD NEVER FLOWN IN BEFORE AND SHOULD DEFINITELY NOT HAVE BEEN SO LENIENT ON A STUDENT BECAUSE WE ARE GOOD FRIENDS. FORTUNATELY; PATRICK APCH DID NOT SEEM TOO UPSET WITH US (WHICH IS SURPRISING BECAUSE IT WAS BUSY) AND THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL TO GET US BACK ON COURSE.