PA 32 PLT DEPARTED SNA WITHOUT CONFIRMING ACFT GYRO COMPASSES WERE SET TO THE CORRECT HDG.

Narrative

SNA IS PROBABLY THE BUSIEST COMMERCIAL ARPT I'VE FLOWN TO. ARR WAS UNEVENTFUL AFTER A 2 HR FLT. THE TRIP WAS TO ATTEND A FUNERAL; WITH RETURN THE SAME NIGHT. I WAS TIRED. PROBS WITH CLRNC DELIVERY AND TAXIING AT NIGHT AT AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT LEFT ME SOMEWHAT FLUSTERED. DURING RUN-UP I NEGLECTED TO VERIFY HSI HDG CORRECTNESS; AND DIDN'T SET BACK-UP COPLT DIRECTIONAL GYRO. AFTER TKOF; AN ATC VECTOR MADE ME REALIZE SOMETHING WAS WRONG; BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT. I TOLD ATC I HAD A GYRO PROB AND NEEDED TO FIGURE IT OUT. I HAD BEEN CLRED TO 2000 FT; BUT CLBED TO 2500 FT TO BE ABOVE THE STRATUS FOR VFR CONDITIONS. DUE TO CONFUSION WITH HSI AND MISSET DIRECTIONAL GYRO; I WAS NOT HOLDING HDG. ATC AGREED TO LET ME STAY AT 2500 FT AND GAVE ME LEEWAY TO SOLVE THE PROB. FACTORS: FATIGUE; FLUSTERED BY BUSY ARPT; DIDN'T FOLLOW RUN-UP CHKLIST; HSI INVALID FLAG VERY POORLY DESIGNED AND HARD TO SEE AT NIGHT. COULD HAVE USED GPS FOR HDG; BUT IT WAS HARD TO THINK OF MORE THAN 'FLY THE PLANE' DUE TO STRESS. EVENTUALLY FIGURED EVERYTHING OUT AND CONTINUED WITHOUT PROB.