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Aeromedical > Spatial Disorientation > Flashcards

Spatial Disorientation Flashcards

1
Q

What is spatial disorientation?

A

The pilot’s erroneous perception of position, attitude, or motion in relation to the gravitational vertical and the Earth’s surface

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2
Q

What sensory systems to we rely on to be able to properly orientate?

A

Visual
Vestibular
Somatosensory

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3
Q

What are some countermeasures and SD mitigation?

A

Understand risk factors through pre mission planning
Good aircrew coordination
Do not attempt visual flight below established weather mins or in areas with deteriorating conditions
Trust your instruments, develop a good cross check

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4
Q

How many types of SD are there?

A

3
Type I (Unrecognized)
Type II (Recognized)
Type III (Incapacitating)

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5
Q

What is Type I SD?

A

It’s when an aviator does not perceive any indications of SD or necessarily think anything is wrong. Other senses will work to corroborate what the aviator sees and feels.

This is the MOST dangerous type

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6
Q

What is Type II SD?

A

The pilot is aware there is a problem, but may not recognize it as SD

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7
Q

What is Type III SD?

A

The pilot experiences such an overwhelming sensation of movement that they cannot physically orient using visual cues of the aircraft instruments

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8
Q

How does the visual sensory system work with SD?

A

Visual system is the most important sensory in maintaining the ability to orient and move in a 3D space. With this, we use ambient vision to focus on large areas and focal vision for items in our central field

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9
Q

How does the vestibular system work with SD?

A

Can provide relatively accurate orientation, but not in a dynamic flight environment

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10
Q

What are the organs associated with the vestibular system?

A

The inner ear organs; semicircular canals and otolith organs

Semicircular canals detect angular acceleration while otolith organs detect linier accelerations

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11
Q

How does the somatosensory system work with SD?

A

Reacts to tactile sensations resulting from forces or pressure on the skin, joints, tendons, and muscles

“seat of your pants”

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12
Q

What are the visual illusions?

A

False Horizon
Fascination
Confusion with Ground Lights
Vection
Height Depth Perception
Crater Illusion
Structural Illusion
Size Distance Illusion
Size Constancy
Shape Constancy
Aerial Perspective
Autokinesis

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13
Q

What is vection?

A

Falsely perceiving motion of oneself when no physical motion is actually occurring, like when you are stopped at a red light and another car pulls next to you

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14
Q

What is false horizon illusion?

A

When you confuse a wide sloping plane of reference with the true horizon

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15
Q

What is confusion with ground lights?

A

When you mistake the ground lights for stars, particularly isolated ground lights

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16
Q

What is height-depth perception?

A

This is due to absent/insufficient visual cues, which causes you to misjudge the aircrafts true altitude

17
Q

What is crater illusion?

A

When landing at night with NVDs and the IR light is too far under the aircrafts nose. Creates the illusion of landing in sloping terrain, resulting in continuing to lower the collective and prematurely impact the ground

18
Q

What is structural illusion?

A

Caused by the effects of rain, snow, sleet or other visual obscurations, causing a straight line to appear curved

19
Q

What is size-distance illusion?

A

Misinterpreting the size and shape of an unfamiliar object by comparing it to what they are accustomed to

20
Q

What is size constancy?

A

Common example is landing at an unfamiliar runway. A skinnier runway may cause the pilot to think they are higher a further away, resulting in them landing low and short

21
Q

What is shape constancy?

A

This deals with things like a sloping runway. An upsloping runway may make the pilot think they are too high, causing the pilot to adjust to get the correct sight picture

22
Q

What is aerial perspective?

A

This deals with size and clarity. Mistaking short or stunted trees for taller ones will cause the pilot to misjudge altitude form the ground. Or if the environment is hazy, objects appear further away

23
Q

What is autokinesis?

A

Occurs predominately at night. After fixating on a light for 6-12 seconds it can appear to move up to 20*, making a pilot think a fixed object is actually in motion

24
Q

What are the three types of vestibular illusions?

A

Somatogyral, somatogravic, oculoagravic

25
Q

What are somatogyral illusions?

A

They give a false sensation of rotation and occur due to the semicircular canals inability o accurately register sustained angular velocity

There are the leans, graveyard spiral, coriolis illusion, and post roll illusion

26
Q

What are the leans?

A

It is an illusion of bank and occurs when a false sensation of angular displacement around the roll axis.

If a pilot rolls into a long sustained turn, she may perceive that the aircraft is flying straight and level. Once detected, they pilot may level the aircraft but they will feel as though they are banking the opposite direction

This is the most common vestibular illusion

27
Q

What is the graveyard spiral?

A

When entering a moderate or steep turn for several seconds, the fluid in the semicircular canals will reach equilibrium and no motion will be perceived. Upon quickly recovering from the bank, the semicircular canals will undergo angular deceleration and have a strong sensation to initiate a bank in the opposite direction. This can be worsened by a perceived loss in altitude causing the pilot to pitch up

28
Q

What is the coriolis illusion?

A

Occurs during prolonged turns, when a pilot makes a head motion away from the plane of rotation, such as moving your head to adjust the radio in a DVE

29
Q

What is the post roll illusion?

A

After a roll maneuver, with the absence of a visible horizon, a pilot may initiate a roll rate into a coordinated turn, complete the maneuver, but then incorrectly provide control input to add additional bank in the same direction thinking they decreased the roll rate

30
Q

What are somatocravic illusions?

A

Changes in gravity or linear acceleration stimulate the otolith organs, resulting in a false sensation of body tilt

There is the g-excess illusion, elevator, and acceleration/deceleration

31
Q

What is the acceleration/deceleration illusion?

A

During linear acceleration, the otolith organ may sense a nose high attitude. In a DVE, this may cause the pilot to pitch the nose downward

32
Q

What is the g-excess illusion?

A

This deals with the change in G magnitude, of sustained Gs >1. If you move your head during this acceleration, you may think you are in a bank

33
Q

What is elevator illusion?

A

With upward or downward acceleration, a false sensation of pitch may be perceived.

An increase in Gs, drives the eyes down, giving a sensation of climbing, causing the pilot to pitch the nose down

34
Q

What is oculoagravic illusion?

A

Aeromedical (4 decks)

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