TAMPA, FLORIDA

Flight Standards District Office

(813) 639-1540
HOURS: 8:00 - 4:30 Weekdays
(except Federal holidays)
Charles V. Nolan Manager
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 SPATIAL
DISORIENTATION
Buz Massengale
Safety Program Manager
Tampa, FL FSDO
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THREE SENSORY SYSTEMS

 VISION

 VESTIBULAR SYSTEM

 SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEM

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LEARNING TO FLY

• USE BASIC ORIENTATION

• USE ALL AVAILABLE SENSES
• OUTSIDE REFERENCES
• INSTRUMENT REFERENCES

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 VISION
• 90% of orientation
• Most reliable sense
• Instrument/visual flight elements
– SCAN!!!
– Interpretation
– Aircraft control
• Even reliable vision can be fooled
• “Optical illusions”
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CAN YOU READ THIS?

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WHICH LINE IS LONGER?

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DO YOU SEE THE GRAY?

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WHAT DO YOU SEE?

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WHAT DO YOU SEE?

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HOW OLD IS SHE?

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THE DANCING ELEPHANT

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AVIATION-RELATED
VISUAL ILLUSIONS
* Featureless terrain
* False horizons
* Ground lighting
* Autokinesis
* Runway width illusion
* Runway slope illusion
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AVIATION-RELATED
VISUAL ILLUSIONS

* Terrain elevation
* Atmospheric illusions
* Rotorwash drift (helicopters)
* Waterfall (helicopters)
* Brown/Whiteout (helicopters)

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VESTIBULAR APPARATUS
 Second method of position determination
 Supports vision
 Very strong in absence of vision
 Detect angular accelerations (turns)
 Detect linear acceleration & gravity
 Two systems, located in middle ear

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SEMICIRCULAR CANALS

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OTOLITH ORGANS

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SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEM

• “Seat of the Pants”

• Aids vision and vestibular systems
• Tactile pressure receptors
• Binaural hearing

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 TAKE
A
BREAK
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SPATIAL DISORIENTATION
* Humans not flight adapted
* Vestibular/somatosensory backs up vision
* Disorientation
• Inability to determine position
• Confusion about position

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FOOLING OUR SENSES
* Sickness
* Drunk
* Unfamiliar environment
* Simulators

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SENSORY ILLUSIONS
* Sub-threshold acceleration
* Straight & Level
* The “Leans”
* Coriolis Illusion
* Somatogravic Illusion
* Elevator Illusion

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 SURVIVING
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION
 RELY ON VISION
 PRACTICE INSTRUMENT FLIGHT
 OUTSIDE REFERENCE IF POSSIBLE
 INSTRUMENTS IF NECESSARY
 SCAN
 INTERPRET
 CONTROL
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QUESTIONS?

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Thanks for coming...

• Fly Safely
• Drive Safely

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TAMPA FSDO HOME PAGE

WWW.FAA.GOV/FSDO/TPA

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