Spatial Disorientation
Writing about and just reading about spatial disorientation is difficult to understand. Instructors are excellent resources to demonstrate, for their students, what to expect.
There are several instructor controlled aircraft attitudes that demonstrate spatial disorientation. The flight attitudes are designed to create a specific illusion. The teaching point is experiencing a false attitude that demonstrates disorientation.
There are a number of controlled aircraft maneuvers a pilot can perform to experiment with spatial disorientation. While each maneuver will normally create a specific illusion, any false sensation is an effective demonstration of disorientation.
One example that involves no detection of change is the "death spiral." Trying to convince a pilot that he is indeed in a steep turn is nearly impossible. We are unable to detect a bank or roll after a few seconds. More information on the "spiral" later.
Why demonstrate these controlled attitudes for students?
1. They teach you to understand how the human system reacts to spatial disorientation.
2. They demonstrate that judgments of aircraft attitude based on bodily sensations are frequently false.
3. They help lessen the visual illusion that caused your disorientation. It gives you a better understanding of the relationship between aircraft motion and head movements that results in disorientation.
4. They instill, in you, more confidence in relying on your flight instruments for assessing true aircraft attitude.
You should not attempt any of these maneuvers at low altitudes, or in the absence of an instructor pilot or an appropriate safety pilot.
Each staged maneuver illustrates illusions that may cause loss of control. Use common sense. Have a well trained instructor as a passenger.
Writing about and just reading about spatial disorientation is difficult to understand. Instructors are excellent resources to demonstrate, for their students, what to expect.
There are several instructor controlled aircraft attitudes that demonstrate spatial disorientation. The flight attitudes are designed to create a specific illusion. The teaching point is experiencing a false attitude that demonstrates disorientation.
There are a number of controlled aircraft maneuvers a pilot can perform to experiment with spatial disorientation. While each maneuver will normally create a specific illusion, any false sensation is an effective demonstration of disorientation.
One example that involves no detection of change is the "death spiral." Trying to convince a pilot that he is indeed in a steep turn is nearly impossible. We are unable to detect a bank or roll after a few seconds. More information on the "spiral" later.
Why demonstrate these controlled attitudes for students?
1. They teach you to understand how the human system reacts to spatial disorientation.
2. They demonstrate that judgments of aircraft attitude based on bodily sensations are frequently false.
3. They help lessen the visual illusion that caused your disorientation. It gives you a better understanding of the relationship between aircraft motion and head movements that results in disorientation.
4. They instill, in you, more confidence in relying on your flight instruments for assessing true aircraft attitude.
You should not attempt any of these maneuvers at low altitudes, or in the absence of an instructor pilot or an appropriate safety pilot.
Each staged maneuver illustrates illusions that may cause loss of control. Use common sense. Have a well trained instructor as a passenger.
