Illusions In Flight

Question 1

The leans

Answer 1

If you enter a bank too slowly for your inner ear to notice, and then come out of the bank quickly, you now feel like your banking in the opposite direction.

Question 2

Somatogravic illusion

Answer 2

Rapid acceleration during takeoff makes you feel like you’re nose-up.

Rapid deceleration makes you feel like you’re nose-down

Question 3

Inversión illusion

Answer 3

Abruptly changing from climb to level makes you feel like you are tumbling backward

Question 4

Coriolis illusion (me)

Answer 4

During a prolonged, constant rate turn, your brain stops registering the turn. When you move your head abruptly, It creates the illusion of movement on a totally different axis.

Question 5

Graveyard spin

Answer 5

You recover from a spin that has stopped stimulating your motion senses. Even though you have recovered, you feel like you are spinning in the opposite direction, so you put the plane back in it’s original spin.

Question 6

Graveyard spiral

Answer 6

You’re in a coordinated constant rate turn that has ceased stimulating your motion senses.

You observe a loss of altitude, and feel like you are descending straight and level.

You pull up, which tightens the spiral and causes more altitude loss.

Question 7

Elevator illusion

Answer 7

You get an updraft that makes you feel like you’re in a climb, so you nosedown.

Or

You get a downdraft and feel like you’re descending, so you nose up

Question 8

False horizon

Answer 8

Using a cloud formation or other obstruction as the horizon

Question 9

Autokinesis

Answer 9

In the dark, a still light may appear to move about when you stare at It. The pilot may try to align the airplane with the light

Question 10

Runway/terrain slope illusion

Answer 10

An upsloping runway or terrain creates the illusion that you are higher than you really are. Makes you fly too low.

A downslope makes you think you are lower than you really are. Makes you fly too high

Question 11

Runway width illusion

Answer 11

A narrow runway makes you think you are farther away than you actually are, so you fly too low.

A wider runway makes you think you are closer than you actually are

Question 12

Haze

Answer 12

Haze makes things look farther away than they really are

Question 13

Atmospheric illusions

Answer 13

1. Rain on windscreen: creates the illusion of greater height
2. Haze: creates illusion of being at a greater distance
3. Penetration of fog: creates the illusion of pitching up.

Question 14

Ground lighting illusions

Answer 14

1. Lights along a straight path, like a road: mistaken for runway or approach lights
2. Bright runway and approach lights with no other lights in the area: creates the illusion of being closer to the runway than you actually are.
3. Flying over terrain with few lights to provide height cues: can make you fly too low.