Spatial Disorientation

[Sandesh]

Dear fellow aviators,

I was recently introduced to spatial disorientation! this subject scared me a little bit, being an VFR pilot in a cross country stage. I was just wondering if somebody could give a explanation of spatial disorientation?

[fish314]

Sure,

Basically it works like this. All of your physiological systems that help you keep your balance are backed up by your eyesight, and they evolved here on the ground. They don't work very well in the air, and especially they don't work very well when you can't see a horizon.

There are a whole lot of different ways that the vestibular system can become screwed up. So long story short is that if all of your instruments are showing you in a turn, but you for real, really real think you are straight and level and you are in IMC- You are in a turn. Trust the instruments. If all of your instruments say you are in a climb, way nose up, but for the life of you it feels like you are descending- You're wrong, the instruments are right, you are in a climb.

Now, if one instrument disagrees with another (like the primary ADI disagrees with the standby) then you may have one giving you bad info. If that's the case, use the other instruments to diagnose which is correct and which is bad, but you can disregard what you "feel" in that diagnosis.