*** Posted by Rapier ***
Hi to all,

How do fighter pilots deal with disorientation. I've heard of things like picking an object on the ground and rotating your head while constantly looking at it. Would'nt this make a pilot dizzy?

Rapier

*** Posted by RUN ***
[Hi to all,

How do fighter pilots deal with disorientation. I've heard of things like picking an object on the ground and rotating your head while constantly looking at it. Would'nt this make a pilot dizzy?

Rapier]

Never heard of that one.
Most of the time when pilots become spatial disoriented it normally happens when they are flying in the clouds or at night. Rotating the head would just make it worse. The best way to fight it is concentrating 100% on your instruments. Especially the ADI. I don't understand why somebody suggested rotating your head, because a lot of times moving your head is what causes spatial disorientation. It screws up the orientation in the inner ear and gives you false indication of what is happening.

RUN

*** Posted by Rapier ***
Never heard of that one.
Most of the time when pilots become spatial disoriented it normally happens when they are flying in the clouds or at night. Rotating the head would just make it worse. The best way to fight it is concentrating 100% on your instruments. Especially the ADI. I don't understand why somebody suggested rotating your head, because a lot of times moving your head is what causes spatial disorientation. It screws up the orientation in the inner ear and gives you false indication of what is happening.

RUN]

Hi RUN,

Yes it makes sense what you said about concentrating on your instruments, perhaps I described the rotating of the head a bit wrong. I think what I meant to say was that if a pilot becomes disorientated he picks an object on the grond and focus's on that object (as well as observing his/her instruments) if he/she is spining very fast, like pilots do at airshows, I've noticed that they tend to look in one direction (on the ground) when they perform barrel roll's. It may be a natural reaction to do this. Were you taught on this subject at the academy and methods on how to deal with disorientation?

Regards

Rapier

*** Posted by RUN ***
[Hi RUN,

Yes it makes sense what you said about concentrating on your instruments, perhaps I described the rotating of the head a bit wrong. I think what I meant to say was that if a pilot becomes disorientated he picks an object on the grond and focus's on that object (as well as observing his/her instruments) if he/she is spining very fast, like pilots do at airshows, I've noticed that they tend to look in one direction (on the ground) when they perform barrel roll's. It may be a natural reaction to do this. Were you taught on this subject at the academy and methods on how to deal with disorientation?

Regards

Rapier]

When you fly aerobatics it's right that you focus on ground objects in order to make the maneouvers look good from the ground.
What I was talking about is Spatial disorientation which is an other story.

RUN

*** Posted by Rapier ***

[
When you fly aerobatics it's right that you focus on ground objects in order to make the maneouvers look good from the ground.
What I was talking about is Spatial disorientation which is an other story.

RUN]

Hi RUN,

Spatial disorientation, is that when a pilot is not aware of what's around him or what's going on for a few seconds? Like after a pilot has recovered from G-lock.

Rapier

*** Posted by RUN ***
[Hi RUN,

Spatial disorientation, is that when a pilot is not aware of what's around him or what's going on for a few seconds? Like after a pilot has recovered from G-lock.

Rapier]

Spatial disorientation is when you get a wrong feeling of whats up & down and this feeling sticks to you, so you start douting that the instruments are telling you the truth. It normally happens when you are in the clouds or at night. The wrong sensations can be caused by visual "illusions" outside the jet, fx the landing light which is located off center on the jet can give you a wrong sensation of whats up if you are flying at night in the clouds (Therefore I normally have it off untill right when I have to touch down) or when you are acellerating you can get the sensation that you are in a climb even though you are flying level.
The best way to counter this is by going 100% on instruments. Some pilots have even had to eject because they couldn't fly the jet anymore.
RUN

*** Posted by Rapier ***
[Hi RUN,

Spatial disorientation, is that when a pilot is not aware of what's around him or what's going on for a few seconds? Like after a pilot has recovered from G-lock.

Rapier

Spatial disorientation is when you get a wrong feeling of whats up & down and this feeling sticks to you, so you start douting that the instruments are telling you the truth. It normally happens when you are in the clouds or at night. The wrong sensations can be caused by visual "illusions" outside the jet, fx the landing light which is located off center on the jet can give you a wrong sensation of whats up if you are flying at night in the clouds (Therefore I normally have it off untill right when I have to touch down) or when you are acellerating you can get the sensation that you are in a climb even though you are flying level.
The best way to counter this is by going 100% on instruments. Some pilots have even had to eject because they couldn't fly the jet anymore.
RUN ]

Hi,

WOW! I did'nt know and did'nt think pilots were so effected by this. This is scary stuff but it just goes to show that even the best pilots can be affected by this. I have always belived that aircraft systems manufacturers should develop systems to help pilots in this situation.

Thanks

Rapier

*** Posted by Simon "ICE" Secher ***
[Hi RUN,

Spatial disorientation, is that when a pilot is not aware of what's around him or what's going on for a few seconds? Like after a pilot has recovered from G-lock.

Rapier

Spatial disorientation is when you get a wrong feeling of whats up & down and this feeling sticks to you, so you start douting that the instruments are telling you the truth. It normally happens when you are in the clouds or at night. The wrong sensations can be caused by visual "illusions" outside the jet, fx the landing light which is located off center on the jet can give you a wrong sensation of whats up if you are flying at night in the clouds (Therefore I normally have it off untill right when I have to touch down) or when you are acellerating you can get the sensation that you are in a climb even though you are flying level.
The best way to counter this is by going 100% on instruments. Some pilots have even had to eject because they couldn't fly the jet anymore.
RUN ]
Hey RUN.. Ain't that called vertigo attack???? o;-)

*** Posted by Run ***
[Hey RUN.. Ain't that called vertigo attack???? o;-)]
I guess ;o)
run

*** Posted by Rapier ***
Hi Ice,

Hey Ice where you from? Are you American?

Rapier -)-------

*** Posted by Simon "ICE" Secher ***
[Hi Ice,

Hey Ice where you from? Are you American?

Rapier -)-------
]

Na... I'm the same kinde great freakin' dane as RUN.. ;-)

ICE

*** Posted by Rapier ***
Hi Ice,

You should be proud of where you come from! So what do you like about the F-16 Ice? Do you fly at all?

Rapier