diff --git a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS.h b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS.h
index 90499e2bf9..b0687af1cb 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS.h
+++ b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS.h
@@ -38,8 +38,7 @@ public:
 	}
 
 	// Accessors
-	void		set_centripetal(bool b) { _centripetal = b; }
-	bool		get_centripetal(void) { return _centripetal; }
+	void		set_fly_forward(bool b) { _fly_forward = b; }
 	void		set_compass(Compass *compass) { _compass = compass; }
 
 	// Methods
@@ -96,8 +95,9 @@ protected:
 	IMU 		*_imu;
 	GPS 		*&_gps;
 
-	// true if we are doing centripetal acceleration correction
-	bool		_centripetal;
+	// true if we can assume the aircraft will be flying forward
+	// on its X axis
+	bool		_fly_forward;
 
 	// the limit of the gyro drift claimed by the sensors, in
 	// radians/s/s
diff --git a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.cpp b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.cpp
index fe689d856e..9d3f12877a 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.cpp
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ AP_AHRS_DCM::update(void)
 void
 AP_AHRS_DCM::matrix_update(float _G_Dt)
 {
-	// _omega_integ_corr is used for _centripetal correction
+	// _omega_integ_corr is used for centripetal correction
 	// (theoretically better than _omega)
 	_omega_integ_corr = _gyro_vector + _omega_I;
 
@@ -90,29 +90,6 @@ AP_AHRS_DCM::matrix_update(float _G_Dt)
 }
 
 
-// adjust an accelerometer vector for known acceleration forces
-void
-AP_AHRS_DCM::accel_adjust(Vector3f &accel)
-{
-	float veloc;
-	// compensate for linear acceleration. This makes a
-	// surprisingly large difference in the pitch estimate when
-	// turning, plus on takeoff and landing
-	float acceleration = _gps->acceleration();
-	accel.x -= acceleration;
-
-	// compensate for centripetal acceleration
-	veloc = _gps->ground_speed * 0.01;
-
-	// We are working with a modified version of equation 26 as
-	// our IMU object reports acceleration in the positive axis
-	// direction as positive
-
-	// Equation 26 broken up into separate pieces
-	accel.y -= _omega_integ_corr.z * veloc;
-	accel.z += _omega_integ_corr.y * veloc;
-}
-
 /*
   reset the DCM matrix and omega. Used on ground start, and on
   extreme errors in the matrix
@@ -269,83 +246,18 @@ AP_AHRS_DCM::normalize(void)
 }
 
 
-// perform drift correction. This function aims to update _omega_P and
-// _omega_I with our best estimate of the short term and long term
-// gyro error. The _omega_P value is what pulls our attitude solution
-// back towards the reference vector quickly. The _omega_I term is an
-// attempt to learn the long term drift rate of the gyros.
-//
-// This function also updates _omega_yaw_P with a yaw correction term
-// from our yaw reference vector
+// yaw drift correction
+// we only do yaw drift correction when we get a new yaw
+// reference vector. In between times we rely on the gyros for
+// yaw. Avoiding this calculation on every call to
+// update() saves a lot of time
 void
-AP_AHRS_DCM::drift_correction(float deltat)
+AP_AHRS_DCM::drift_correction_yaw(float deltat)
 {
-	float error_course = 0;
-	Vector3f accel;
 	Vector3f error;
-	float error_norm = 0;
-	float yaw_deltat = 0;
-
-	accel = _accel_vector;
-
-	// if enabled, use the GPS to correct our accelerometer vector
-	// for centripetal forces
-	if(_centripetal &&
-	   _gps != NULL &&
-	   _gps->status() == GPS::GPS_OK) {
-		accel_adjust(accel);
-	}
-
-
-	//*****Roll and Pitch***************
-
-	// normalise the accelerometer vector to a standard length
-	// this is important to reduce the impact of noise on the
-	// drift correction, as very noisy vectors tend to have
-	// abnormally high lengths. By normalising the length we
-	// reduce their impact.
-	float accel_length = accel.length();
-	accel *= (_gravity / accel_length);
-	if (accel.is_inf()) {
-		// we can't do anything useful with this sample
-		_omega_P.zero();
-		return;
-	}
-
-	// calculate the error, in m/2^2, between the attitude
-	// implied by the accelerometers and the attitude
-	// in the current DCM matrix
-	error =  _dcm_matrix.c % accel;
-
-	// Limit max error to limit the effect of noisy values
-	// on the algorithm. This limits the error to about 11
-	// degrees
-	error_norm = error.length();
-	if (error_norm > 2) {
-		error *= (2 / error_norm);
-	}
-
-	// we now want to calculate _omega_P and _omega_I. The
-	// _omega_P value is what drags us quickly to the
-	// accelerometer reading.
-	_omega_P = error * _kp_roll_pitch;
-
-	// the _omega_I is the long term accumulated gyro
-	// error. This determines how much gyro drift we can
-	// handle.
-	_omega_I_sum += error * (_ki_roll_pitch * deltat);
-	_omega_I_sum_time += deltat;
-
-	// these sums support the reporting of the DCM state via MAVLink
-	_error_rp_sum += error_norm;
-	_error_rp_count++;
-
-	// yaw drift correction
+	float yaw_deltat;
+	float error_course = 0;
 
-	// we only do yaw drift correction when we get a new yaw
-	// reference vector. In between times we rely on the gyros for
-	// yaw. Avoiding this calculation on every call to
-	// update_DCM() saves a lot of time
 	if (_compass && _compass->use_for_yaw()) {
 		if (_compass->last_update != _compass_last_update) {
 			yaw_deltat = 1.0e-6*(_compass->last_update - _compass_last_update);
@@ -375,7 +287,7 @@ AP_AHRS_DCM::drift_correction(float deltat)
 				error_course = 0;
 			}
 		}
-	} else if (_gps && _gps->status() == GPS::GPS_OK) {
+	} else if (_gps && _gps->status() == GPS::GPS_OK && _fly_forward) {
 		if (_gps->last_fix_time != _gps_last_update) {
 			// Use GPS Ground course to correct yaw gyro drift
 			if (_gps->ground_speed >= GPS_SPEED_MIN) {
@@ -485,6 +397,190 @@ check_sum_time:
 	}
 }
 
+// this is our 'old' drift compensation method, left in here for now
+// to make it easy to switch between them for comparison purposes. We
+// also use it when we don't have a working GPS
+void
+AP_AHRS_DCM::drift_correction_old(float deltat)
+{
+	Vector3f accel;
+	Vector3f error;
+	float error_norm = 0;
+
+	accel = _accel_vector;
+
+	// if enabled, use the GPS to correct our accelerometer vector
+	// for centripetal forces
+	if(_fly_forward &&
+	   _gps != NULL &&
+	   _gps->status() == GPS::GPS_OK) {
+		// account for linear acceleration on the X axis
+		float acceleration = _gps->acceleration();
+		accel.x -= acceleration;
+
+		// this is the old DCM drift correction method for
+		// centripetal forces. It assumes the aircraft is
+		// flying along its X axis
+		float velocity = _gps->ground_speed * 0.01;
+		accel.y -= _omega_integ_corr.z * velocity;
+		accel.z += _omega_integ_corr.y * velocity;
+	}
+
+	float accel_norm = accel.length();
+	if (accel_norm < 1) {
+		// we have no useful information about our attitude
+		// from this sample
+		_omega_P.zero();
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// normalise the acceleration vector
+	accel *= (_gravity / accel_norm);
+
+	// calculate the error, in m/2^2, between the attitude
+	// implied by the accelerometers and the attitude
+	// in the current DCM matrix
+	error =  _dcm_matrix.c % accel;
+
+	// error from the above is in m/s^2 units.
+
+	// Limit max error to limit the effect of noisy values
+	// on the algorithm. This limits the error to about 11
+	// degrees
+	error_norm = error.length();
+	if (error_norm > 2) {
+		error *= (2 / error_norm);
+	}
+
+	// we now want to calculate _omega_P and _omega_I. The
+	// _omega_P value is what drags us quickly to the
+	// accelerometer reading.
+	_omega_P = error * _kp_roll_pitch;
+
+	// the _omega_I is the long term accumulated gyro
+	// error. This determines how much gyro drift we can
+	// handle.
+	Vector3f omega_I_delta = error * (_ki_roll_pitch * deltat);
+
+	// limit the slope of omega_I on each axis to
+	// the maximum drift rate
+	float drift_limit = _gyro_drift_limit * deltat;
+	omega_I_delta.x = constrain(omega_I_delta.x, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+	omega_I_delta.y = constrain(omega_I_delta.y, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+	omega_I_delta.z = constrain(omega_I_delta.z, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+
+	_omega_I += omega_I_delta;
+
+	// these sums support the reporting of the DCM state via MAVLink
+	_error_rp_sum += error_norm;
+	_error_rp_count++;
+
+	// perform yaw drift correction if we have a new yaw reference
+	// vector
+	drift_correction_yaw(deltat);
+}
+
+
+
+// perform drift correction. This function aims to update _omega_P and
+// _omega_I with our best estimate of the short term and long term
+// gyro error. The _omega_P value is what pulls our attitude solution
+// back towards the reference vector quickly. The _omega_I term is an
+// attempt to learn the long term drift rate of the gyros.
+//
+// This drift correction implementation is based on a paper
+// by Bill Premerlani from here:
+//   http://gentlenav.googlecode.com/files/RollPitchDriftCompensation.pdf
+void
+AP_AHRS_DCM::drift_correction(float deltat)
+{
+	Vector3f error;
+	float error_norm;
+
+	// if we don't have a working GPS then use the old style
+	// of drift correction
+	if (_gps == NULL || _gps->status() != GPS::GPS_OK) {
+		drift_correction_old(deltat);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// perform yaw drift correction if we have a new yaw reference
+	// vector
+	drift_correction_yaw(deltat);
+
+	// integrate the accel vector in the body frame between GPS readings
+	_ra_sum += _dcm_matrix * (_accel_vector * deltat);
+
+	// keep a sum of the deltat values, so we know how much time
+	// we have integrated over
+	_ra_deltat += deltat;
+
+	// see if we have a new GPS reading
+	if (_gps->last_fix_time == _ra_sum_start) {
+		// we don't have a new GPS fix - nothing more to do
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// get GPS velocity vector in earth frame
+	Vector3f gps_velocity = Vector3f(_gps->velocity_north(), _gps->velocity_east(), 0);
+
+	// see if this is our first time through - in which case we
+	// just setup the start times and return
+	if (_ra_sum_start == 0) {
+		_ra_sum_start = _gps->last_fix_time;
+		_gps_last_velocity = gps_velocity;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// get the corrected acceleration vector in earth frame
+	Vector3f ge = Vector3f(0,0, - (_gravity * _ra_deltat)) + (gps_velocity - _gps_last_velocity);
+
+	// calculate the error term in earth frame
+	error = _ra_sum % ge;
+
+	// limit the length of the error
+	error_norm = error.length();
+	if (error_norm > 2.0) {
+		error *= (2.0 / error_norm);
+	}
+
+	// convert the error term to body frame
+	error = _dcm_matrix.mul_transpose(error);
+
+	// we now want to calculate _omega_P and _omega_I. The
+	// _omega_P value is what drags us quickly to the
+	// accelerometer reading.
+	_omega_P = error * _kp_roll_pitch;
+
+	// the _omega_I is the long term accumulated gyro
+	// error. This determines how much gyro drift we can
+	// handle.
+	Vector3f omega_I_delta = error * (_ki_roll_pitch * _ra_deltat);
+
+	// limit the slope of omega_I on each axis to
+	// the maximum drift rate
+	float drift_limit = _gyro_drift_limit * _ra_deltat;
+	omega_I_delta.x = constrain(omega_I_delta.x, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+	omega_I_delta.y = constrain(omega_I_delta.y, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+	omega_I_delta.z = constrain(omega_I_delta.z, -drift_limit, drift_limit);
+
+	// add in the limited omega correction into the long term
+	// drift correction
+	_omega_I += omega_I_delta;
+
+	// zero our accumulator ready for the next GPS step
+	_ra_sum.zero();
+	_ra_deltat = 0;
+	_ra_sum_start = _gps->last_fix_time;
+
+	// remember the GPS velocity for next time
+	_gps_last_velocity = gps_velocity;
+
+	// these sums support the reporting of the DCM state via MAVLink
+	_error_rp_sum += error_norm;
+	_error_rp_count++;
+}
+
 
 // calculate the euler angles which will be used for high level
 // navigation control
diff --git a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.h b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.h
index d4bb46f474..d984b6bbe8 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.h
+++ b/libraries/AP_AHRS/AP_AHRS_DCM.h
@@ -16,15 +16,13 @@ public:
 	// Constructors
 	AP_AHRS_DCM(IMU *imu, GPS *&gps) : AP_AHRS(imu, gps)
 	{
-		_kp_roll_pitch = 0.13;
 		_kp_yaw.set(0.2);
-		_dcm_matrix(Vector3f(1, 0, 0),
-			    Vector3f(0, 1, 0),
-			    Vector3f(0, 0, 1));
+		_kp_roll_pitch = 0.06;
+		_dcm_matrix.identity();
 
 		// base the ki values on the sensors drift rate
-		_ki_roll_pitch = _gyro_drift_limit * 5;
-		_ki_yaw        = _gyro_drift_limit * 8;
+		_ki_roll_pitch = _gyro_drift_limit * 4;
+		_ki_yaw        = _gyro_drift_limit * 6;
 	}
 
 	// return the smoothed gyro vector corrected for drift
@@ -52,12 +50,13 @@ private:
 	bool		_have_initial_yaw;
 
 	// Methods
-	void 		accel_adjust(Vector3f &accel);
 	void 		matrix_update(float _G_Dt);
 	void 		normalize(void);
 	void		check_matrix(void);
 	bool	 	renorm(Vector3f const &a, Vector3f &result);
 	void 		drift_correction(float deltat);
+	void 		drift_correction_old(float deltat);
+	void 		drift_correction_yaw(float deltat);
 	void 		euler_angles(void);
 
 	// primary representation of attitude
@@ -86,6 +85,11 @@ private:
 
 	// time in millis when we last got a GPS heading
 	uint32_t	_gps_last_update;
+
+	Vector3f	_ra_sum;
+	Vector3f	_gps_last_velocity;
+	float		_ra_deltat;
+	uint32_t	_ra_sum_start;
 };
 
 #endif // AP_AHRS_DCM_H