PVT PLT UP FOR HIS BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW IN IMC LOSES HIS DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE. HDG TRACK DEV OCCURS. ALERT APCH CTLR OFFERS FLT ASSIST WITH 'NO GYRO' TURNS TO DEP ARPT.

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I WAS RECEIVING A BFR CHK RIDE FROM AN INSTRUCTOR. WE WERE ON AN IFR FLT PLAN WITH ATC CLRNC TO PRACTICE HOLDING. IT WAS IFR/RAINING CONDITIONS WITH POOR LIGHT IN THE COCKPIT. AS WE APCHED THE VOR WE DETERMINED THAT THE DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE WAS FAILING. I THEN DRIFTED OFF THE VOR TRACK AND MISSED THE VOR WHILE TRYING TO ADJUST TO THE MAGNETIC COMPASS. WE NOTIFIED ATC OF THE FAILED DIRECTIONAL GYROSCOPE AND ASKED FOR VECTORS TO THE VOR APCH AT OUR HOME BASE FIELD. ATC GAVE US A HDG OF 220 DEGS. IN SETTING UP FOR THE APCH I HAD TO LOCATE AND ILLUMINATE THE APCH PLATE. WHILE DOING THIS I DRIFTED INTO A L TURN. WHEN I CHKED THE MAGNETIC COMPASS I MISINTERPRETED WHICH WAY TO CORRECT AND INITIATED ANOTHER L TURN. BY THE TIME I FIGURED IT OUT WE WERE HDG 160 DGES. ATC ASKED ABOUT OUR HDG AND THEN STATED HE WAS USING HIS AUTH TO DECLARE AN EMER FOR US AND HE WAS SENDING US TO A LARGE ARPT WITH AN ILS (FINALLY). IN THE END; ATC SAVED US 'NO GYRO' TURNS TO THE HOME BASE VOR AND WE TRACKED IN WITHOUT FURTHER PROB.