AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2019 - 102

NEWS & NOTES

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

Up is down

What to do when your feelings don't matter
BY ALICIA HERRON

SPATIAL DISORIENTATION IS THE mistaken
perception of your position and motion relative to the Earth. More simply, any time the
instruments indicate one attitude and the signals from your body tell you something else,
you are experiencing spatial disorientation.
You might see a turn on the instruments, but
feel straight and level, or vice versa.
As you may imagine, this can be a highly
confusing sensation (see "Proficiency: Flight
Fright," p. 93). These warring senses can lead
a pilot to put in controls to correct a flight
attitude that doesn't exist-for example,
attempting to level the wings when not actually banked. This confusion, if not caught, can
lead to loss of control of the aircraft. Any condition that deprives a pilot of natural, visual
references such as the horizon can rapidly
cause spatial disorientation.
We tend to think that lack of visual reference means in the clouds. So, if you fly
VFR, does that mean that you're immune
to spatial disorientation? No. The flight
rules you operate under don't preclude
susceptibility to disorientation. Flying
in instrument meteorological conditions
(IMC) is serious business, but VFR conditions such as haze, darkness, or flight over

102 | AOPA PILOT December 2019

indistinct terrain (over water, for example)
also can lead to disorientation.
You've done some instrument training before-the FAA requires private pilot
applicants to receive at least three hours of
it prior to the checkride. If you didn't go on
to get your instrument rating, that's probably all the significant IFR training you've
received. Those three hours were meant to
teach you the basics, and to give you enough
skill to be able to maintain control over the
airplane in an emergency (yes, VFR into
IMC flight is an emergency if you're not
proficient in instrument flight), and reverse
course. Disabuse yourself of the dangerously false idea that any pilot with just a
few hours of instrument training is capable
of prolonged flight in instrument meteorological conditions. They aren't. Yet too
often, pilots with extremely limited instrument experience overestimate their skill or
underestimate the conditions and attempt
prolonged or deliberate VFR into IMC
flight-only to end up a tragedy.
Spatial disorientation accidents aren't
limited to noninstrument-rated pilots. When
flying in actual IMC, equipment failure can
make even the most proficient instrument

pilot that much more prone to spatial disorientation. If you're instrument rated, you can
prepare for this unlikely possibility by keeping your partial panel skills sharp. And many
modern aircraft, especially those used for
long IFR cross countries, have highly capable
autopilots-but are you sure you could fly an
approach without one? Even if you are sure,
consider the old-school idea of hand-flying
approaches to develop proficiency.
A great way to gain respect for spatial
disorientation is to feel it yourself under
controlled conditions. Ask your instructor
to spatially disorient you aloft (in VMC, of
course) or try it in a simulator-even partial-motion sims have been known to cause
disorientation. The challenge of fighting
through spatial disorientation may change
your perspective on just how difficult it is
to overcome, and may help explain why no
pilot-no matter their certificate level or
experience-is immune.
airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos/
TOL_series
EMAIL alicia.herron@aopa.org

To learn more, read the Spatial
Disorientation Safety Advisor
airsafetyinstitute.org/
safetyadvisors/spatialdisorientation

ASI NEWS

WINTER WEATHER
FLYING WISDOM

Cold temperatures, low clouds, precipitation, and icing present unique
challenges for general aviation pilots.
This safety advisor explores basic
precipitation and icing weather theory and associated hazards. Learn
how to recognize and avoid dangerous precipitation and icing and find
tips on exit strategies for unexpected
and inadvertent icing encounters.
Brought to you by SiriusXM Aviation.
airsafetyinstitute.org/
safetyadvisors/precipandicing

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos/TOL_series http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyvideos/TOL_series http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/spatialdisorientation http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/spatialdisorientation http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyadvisors/precipandicing

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - December 2019