Visual Illusions

Question 1

What is Runway Width Illusion? (Include descriptions)

Answer 1

Occurs when the runway appears narrower or wider than normal.
Narrower than Usual: Creates illusion plane is higher than it is. Causes you to fly approach too low. (May strike objects during approach/ land short of runway.)
Wider than Usual: Creates illusion plane is lower than it is. Causes you to fly approach too high. (May flare too high and drop down to hard landing. Touch down too far down the runway and run off the end.)

Question 2

Runway and terrain slope illusions (include descriptions)

Answer 2

Significant upslope- creates illusion plane is higher than it actually is. Causes you to fly approach too low.(May strike objects during approach/ land short of runway.)
Significant downslope- Creates illusion plane is lower than it is. Causes you to fly approach too high. (May flare too high and drop down to hard landing. Touch down too far down the runway and run off the end.)

Question 3

Featureless Terrain Illusion

Answer 3

Occurs when there is an abcense of surrounding features. (Water. Darkened areas. terrain made featureless by snow) creates illusion plane is higher than it actually is. Causes you to fly approach too low.(May strike objects during approach/ land short of runway.)

Question 4

Atmospheric Illusions

Answer 4

Rain on your windscreen and atmospheric haze. creates illusion plane is higher than it actually is. Causes you to fly approach too low. (May strike objects during approach/ land short of runway.)

Question 5

Sudden loss of visual reference illusion

Answer 5

Such as unexpectedly flying into fog on approach, A cloud in flight. Produces illusion of pitching up. Causes you to abruptly pitch down and possibly resulting in touching down short on approach. Losing control in flight

Question 6

Ground lighting illusion

Answer 6

A straight path of lights is mistaken for runway or approach lights. Bright runway lights or approach lights create impression that you’re closer to the runway then you really are.

Question 7

Black hole illusion

Answer 7

Occurs when flying long, straight-in approach. Little to no lighting around the airport. No surrounding ground features. (overwater approach or terrain covered by snow.) Creates problems because you’re used to having the plane fill a larger portion of the windscreen as you get closer to the airport.
Don’t fly long dark straight in finals. Fly standard traffic patterns.

Question 8

How to avoid illusion hazards

Answer 8

Anticipate possibility of illusions. Conduct an aerial landing visual inspection of unfamiliar airports before landing. Use visual glide path if possible. VASI lighting system. Know airport and pattern altitude elevations. Frequently check altimeter. Check chart supplement for locations of obscurations.