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Disorientation Simulation

If I read this correctly, practically everybody gets spatial disorientation, so un-training or trying to minimise it by pilot selection is a bit pointless.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Coriolis Illusion: sensation of rolling and/or pitching after abrupt head movements
That one felt nasty one day: feel of doing a full chandelle while flying level

Peter wrote:

practically everybody gets spatial disorientation, so un-training or trying to minimise it by pilot selection is a bit pointless.

While that is true, you still wants to select those who are less sensitive to SD and demonstrate to everybody that they can get lost.

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

The idea that medically fit pilots should be selected for a natural resilience to spatial disorientation was debunked a century ago. Benson, p. KN-2, singled out Palthe for clearly appreciating “that the aviator’s failure to perceive turns and changes in attitude was due to the fact that the motion of the aircraft was below sensory threshold.” See Mulder’s law in Stott, op cit. Benson at p. KN-7 further addresses the point:

The importance of selection and training of aircrew has long been recognised and selection and
training relevant to S.D. is no exception. Normal equilibratory function and the absence of vestibular
disorder is mandatory in the medical selection of aircrew, but there is no need for special tests of
vestibular function, such as the caloric test and nystagmography, to be carried out. The place for special
tests of vestibular function is in the investigation of aviators who come under medical care because of a
S.D. problem.

Is it helpful comparing spatial disorientation with hypoxia? The common points being that everyone is susceptible, the onset is likely to be insidious, failure to recognise the condition or to escape from Moore’s paradox will likely result in an accident, and occurrence rates may be reduced by awareness of and exposure to illusions commonly associated with SD.

London, United Kingdom
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