Orientation And Desorientation Flashcards
What is the definition of situational awareness?
Knowing what might happen, what is happening and what has happened
What is the single greatest cause of accidents in the RCAF?
Human Factors
Name three causes and three symptoms of loss of situational awareness.
Causes : Time pressure, Misdirected attention, Lack of knowledge regarding the situation
Symptoms : Ambiguity, Fixation, Confusion, No one looking outside the windows
What do you have to be aware of regarding maintaining your SA?
Continuous sensitivity to location, communications.
Define Spatial disorientation.
Losing sense of location, position and altitude, in relation to our surroundings (Earth).
What are the factors causing aircrew to become disoriented ?
- External visual world is lost
- Aerodynamics of the aircraft
- Sense of rotation
Name three types of disorientation.
Unrecognized (DANGEROUS)
Recognized
Incapacitating
Give two examples for each of the following factors associated with Spatial Disorientation (SD).
Environment - Clouds & Night
Manoeuvre - Snowballs & Turns
Pilot - Training & Alcohol
Aircraft - equipment malfunctions & Cockpit ergonomics
Alerting factors - Instrument scans & View of ground
Name four human sensory systems.
Vision
Vestibular
Somatosensory
Auditory
What is peripheral vision responsible for?
Balance and orientation.
Define motion sickness.
State of disconnection between sensory system and the actual motion.
Name four signs and symptoms of Motion Sickness.
Lethargy
Apathy
Stomack Awareness
Nausea
Pallor
Cold sweats
Vomiting
Who is more prone to motion sickness?
Passengers, People not in command of the aircraft
Name a few prevention methods available to combat Motion Sickness.
Pharmacology prevention
Motion Sickness desensitization
Cold air
View the horizon
What is the definition of an illusion in relation to Spatial Disorientation and what are the two types of illusion?
An illusion is a false perception of what is really happening or appearing.
Visual illusions
Non-Visual illusions
What are some examples of visual illusions related to Spatial Disorientation?
False Horizon
Vector illusion
Nystagmus
Brown out/White out
Why is the black hole approach illusion dangerous?
It gives a false sensation of horizon. Using a city’s lights for a landing approach is a good example.
How can an aircrew avoid or reduce the autokinesis illusion?
Avoid fixating
Maintain scanning
Check instruments
What are two examples of false horizons?
Sloping cloud deck
Sloping terrain
What are two examples of non-visual illusions, ad which is the most common?
The leans (Most common)
Coriolis
Graveyard spin
Graveyard spiral
Pitch up/Pitch down
What is the most dangerous non-visual illusion that a pilot might experience.
The Coriolis
What are three corrective measures for Spatial Disorientation?
Spatial disorientation training
Get on the instruments
Restrict head movements
Fly straight and level
Transfert controls to other pilot
Eject
