SMA ACFT ON TRAINING FLT HAD COM; DIRECTIONAL GYRO (ATTITUDE INDICATOR) FAILURE. INSTRUCTOR PLT HAD DIFFICULTY FINDING HIS ARPT DUE TO MIST; HAZE AND SMOKE AND LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC.

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I WAS ON A HDG OF 110 DEGS CLBING TO THE BLOCKHOUSE PRACTICE AREA (ON AN EL TORO DEP FROM SNA) WITH A STUDENT. AT 4000 FT RADIO COM FAILED AND ALSO THE DIRECTIONAL GYRO AND ATTITUDE INDICATOR FAILED. I CHKED THE RADIO; COM PANEL AND FUSES BUT COULD NOT RE-ESTABLISH 2-WAY RADIO COM. I SQUAWKED 7600 AND PUSHED IDENT. AFTER THAT; I REVERSED COURSE TO A HDG OF 290 DEGS TO GO BACK TO SNA. DUE TO MIST; HAZE; SMOKE; AND CLOUDS; I COULDN'T GO WBOUND (TO THE COAST) OR EBOUND. TO COMPOUND THE PROB; I AM SOMEWHAT UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. I PASSED EL TORO W OF THE ARPT SO I TURNED TO 270 DEGS TO RETURN TO SNA. AT THE SAME TIME; THE STUDENT DIDN'T REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SIT AND PERSISTENTLY TRIED TO CTL THE AIRPLANE EVEN THOUGH I BRIEFED HIM ON THE GND CONCERNING SITS LIKE THIS. THE STUDENT PERSISTED IN INTERFERING WITH CTL WHICH CAUSED ME TO BE DISTR FROM OBSERVING THE ARPT. I PASSED IT ON THE E SIDE. SO I TURNED BACK AGAIN TO FIND THE ARPT. WHEN I FOUND IT; I WAS LOOKING FOR THE LIGHT GUN SIGNALS AND ROCKED THE WINGS; THEN I DECIDED TO DSND AND LAND. I HAD A HARD TIME TO SEE OTHER TFC DUE TO BAD VISIBILITY. IN RETROSPECT; I LEARNED THAT NEXT TIME I WOULD PLACE MORE EMPHASIS ON POSITIONAL AWARENESS; COLLISION AVOIDANCE AND AVOID FLTS INTO MARGINAL VFR WHEN NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA.