An eye opening experience...

While hanging out at Sun-n-fun this weekend, I came across the FAA
training area and saw that they had a full motion simulator available
for simulated spatial disorientation. I'm currently about 70% through
ground school, and will begin flight training in a couple of weeks. I
have been flying with people in light a/c for many years, but have
never experienced SD and have often wondered how so many people get
screwed up in it. I've always thought that if you can't see outside,
look at the instruments! What's the big deal?

Anyway, I signed up and climbed on in for my 5 minute session. They
gave me some basic pre-sim flight info regarding the control
sensitivity (and they were VERY sensitive) and a cue to look down and
pick up a pencil that I had "dropped" after a particular radio call
from ATC (turn left 30 degrees). The sim is fully enclosed, w/ the
only controls being ailerons/elevator and throttle. The rudder pedals
are locked and not used in the simulation.

They start you off flying straight and level VFR, several thousand
feet AGL. Then you are instructed by "ATC" to make a climbing left
turn to some large change in heading. After beginning the turn, you
become enclosed in thick IFR and lose all outside reference. No big
deal I thought, just keep an eye on the AI and airspeed w/ occasional
checks on Alt. ATC then instructs you to level off for a few seconds,
followed by another radio call to turn left heading 030 (the cue to
look down and get the pencil off the floor).

As soon as I bent down I was COMPLETELY screwed up. I had no idea
what was happening, but it was not good. I had left my hand on the
yoke when I bent down, so when I looked up I was in a pretty steep
bank that was not agreeing w/ what I felt. I was now sweating and my
heart was beating fast! I got back into my scan and ignored what my
body was pleading w/ me to do. I leveled it out and again focused on
the AI and airspeed. Right now I didn't care much about the altitude.
Things got back to normal, and my flight was over!

I'm so glad I was able to experience this. I don't know how realistic
it is or isn't, but either way I have a lot more respect for spatial
disorientation and will definitely be going for my IFR rating after my
PPL (and will NOT be scud running under VFR). If you have an
opportunity to experience this sim, I definitely recommend it. If not
for the logistical problems, I'd think such an experience should
almost be mandatory for student pilots.

"Sam" wrote in message
om...
While hanging out at Sun-n-fun this weekend, I came across the FAA
training area and saw that they had a full motion simulator available
for simulated spatial disorientation.

Sam,

Was this a simulator that simply spins around? If I remember correctly, it
doesn't do anything spectacular except spin smoothly around and once you're
enclosed inside, the spinning feeling disappears and just feels like light
turbulence.

I rode one that spun around at a Wings Weekend and it was definitely a
learning experience. Except that in the simulator in which I rode, ATC asks
you to ident and the ident button is very low and to the left. Once you take
your head out of the "plane" in which it is spinning (kind of like moving a
spinning gyroscope) your inner ear freaks out and everything starts
spinning. A great learning experience.

-Trent
PP-ASEL

"Trent Moorehead" wrote in message ...
"Sam" wrote in message
om...
While hanging out at Sun-n-fun this weekend, I came across the FAA
training area and saw that they had a full motion simulator available
for simulated spatial disorientation.

Sam,

Was this a simulator that simply spins around? If I remember correctly, it
doesn't do anything spectacular except spin smoothly around and once you're
enclosed inside, the spinning feeling disappears and just feels like light
turbulence.


Hey Trent,

I think there's two different versions of the simulator going around.
There's one that uses virtual reality goggles or something and spins
around on the vertical axis only. The one I did had rotation in three
axes. A large part of the motion was the spinning, as one might
expect in a climbing left turn. I never noticed the spinning either,
which was interesting.

"Sam" wrote
Hey Trent,

I think there's two different versions of the simulator going around.
There's one that uses virtual reality goggles or something and spins
around on the vertical axis only.

Yeah, the one I rode spun on the vertical axis only, but I didn't wear any
goggles. Really, all it was was something like MS Flight simulator (a small
CRT, joystick and the fake transponder with a large lit ident button)
enclosed in a mock cockpit with no reference to the outside, but it was
remarkably effective regardless. I think the slight movement as it spun
(which felt like a light bumping sensation) helped to make the experience
more real. But man, when you looked down to press that ident button....Let's
just say it was the worst case of vertigo I've ever experienced. Actually
the only case of vertigo I've ever experienced, so it was good to feel what
a severe case of it felt like.

Sounds like the one you rode was even more effective. I'll have to check it
out when and if it comes around.

-Trent
PP-ASEL

"Trent Moorehead" wrote
Was this a simulator that simply spins around? If I remember correctly, it
doesn't do anything spectacular except spin smoothly around and once you're
enclosed inside, the spinning feeling disappears and just feels like light
turbulence.

I believe it's called the Gyro. I 'flew' it at Oshkosh, as did some
of my friends. The different experiences were interesting.

I thought it was no big deal. The controls were pretty crappy and
twitchy, which made it difficult to hold altitude +/- 50 ft, but
otherwise it was easy. When needing to get something, I made it a
point to keep an eye on the AI, and that made it easy to retain
orientation despite the somatic illusions. Of course I was a CFII and
instrument current, so you should expect that this would be my
experience.

An 800 hour VFR-only private pilot with some instrument training was
next. Her impression was about like mine - in fact she probably did a
slightly better job of flying it than I did.

A student pilot with very minimal hood training (less than an hour, I
think) was next, and he found it challenging to keep within +/-100 ft
and +/- 10 degrees, but not challenging to maintain control.

A 600 hour VFR-only private pilot was last, and he hadn't flown at
night or under the hood since getting his ticket years ago. He could
barely maintain control and almost 'crashed.' I think this scared him
- soon thereafter he started instrument training with me, and now is
instrument rated.

The FAA guy running the Gyro told me an interesting story.

He once took the Gyro to a flying club, and all the members flew it.
One of them was particularly cocky, and felt it was no biggie. He
wasn't instrument rated, but felt he could handle it just fine anyway.
The FAA guy threw everything he could at him, but the guy handled it.

Everyone in the club actually did OK with it except the last one. He
was very nervous, and sure enough lost control and crashed. He was
also the only instrument rated pilot in the club.

Michael