Hearing and Vestibular Flashcards
What does the outer ear do?
Funnels sound to the inner ear
What does the middle ear do?
Transmits hearing function
What vibrates the ossicles?
The ear drum
The Malleus, Incus and Stapes make up what?
Ossicles
What do the ossicles do?
Transmits vibrations to the inner ear
What is the inner ear known as?
Cochlea
Cochlea is otherwise known as what?
Inner ear
What connects the ear to the nasal passage?
Eustachian tube
What body part helps equalise atmospheric pressure?
Eustachian tube
What causes the ear drum to produce pain and reduced hearing?
If pressure is exerted on only one side
If pressure is exerted on only one side of the ear drum, what will happen?
Pain and reduced hearing
What part of the ear receives often irrepairable damage?
Cochlea
What is the audible range for human hearing?
20Hz to 20,000Hz
What happens to a blocked Eustachian tube and ear when descending from a normal pressurised altitude?
Pressure in outer ear increases as altitude decreases
Eustachian tube can’t relieve pressure differential from nasal passage
Severe pain occurs
Above what decibel level does temporaary hearing loss occur?
85dB
What is the medical term for hearing loss resulting from age?
Presbycusis
Frequencies below what level causes sweating?
100Hz
What part of the ear converts pressure wave energy (sound) into mechanical energy?
Ossicles
What part of the ear maintains ambient pressure within the ear?
Eustachian tube
What equalises pressure either side of the eardrums?
Eustachian tube
The vestibular system contains how many semi-circular canals in each ear?
3
What is the major flaw with the vestibular system’s perception?
It will always prioritise the inner ear’s interpretation over your visual interpretation
Vestibular issues: what are the leans?
A bank may be undetected by the inner ear
Levelling the wings may therefore be intrepeeted as banking in the opposite direction
Vestibular issues: sloping cloud?
The pilot may align the wings with the sloping cloud and thus be not level
Vestibular issues: what are acceleration issues known as?
Somatogravic
Somatogravic issues are related to what flight experience?
Acceleration
Vestibular issues: acceleration causes what inner ear sensation?
Pitching up
Vestibular issues: decceleration causes what inner ear sensation?
Pitching down
Vestibular issues: what can occur in a prolonged banked turn?
The inner ear thinks the bank angle is normal straight and level flight
Why does the body feel the same when stationary and in steady, level flight?
The G forces are equivalent (1G)
What happens to the fluid in the semicircular canals of the vestibular system during a change in flight?
The canal accelerates away from its fluid
The fluid flows away from the direction of motion
The fluid motion bends the sensory hairs and feeds the motion to the brain
Vestibular issues: what can turns feel like?
Climbs
Vestibular issues: why might a pilot feel a tendency to psh the nose down in a steep turn?
The steep turn may feel like the aircraft is climbing
Vestibular issues: why does rolling out of a turn feel like a descent?
The G-forces are reduced which is also what is felt in a descent
Vestibular issues: what can rolling out of a turn feel like?
Descending
