TAMPA, FLORIDA

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TAMPA, FLORIDA Flight Standards District
Office [phone] HOURS 800 - 430
Weekdays (except Federal holidays) Charles V.
Nolan Manager
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SPATIALDISORIENTATION

• Buz Massengale
• Safety Program Manager
• Tampa, FL FSDO

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THREE SENSORY SYSTEMS

• VISION
• VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
• SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEM

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LEARNING TO FLY

• USE BASIC ORIENTATION
• USE ALL AVAILABLE SENSES
• OUTSIDE REFERENCES
• INSTRUMENT REFERENCES

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VISION

• 90 of orientation
• Most reliable sense
• Instrument/visual flight elements
• SCAN!!!
• Interpretation
• Aircraft control
• Even reliable vision can be fooled
• Optical illusions

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CAN YOU READ THIS?
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WHICH LINE IS LONGER?
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DO YOU SEE THE GRAY?
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WHAT DO YOU SEE?
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WHAT DO YOU SEE?
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HOW OLD IS SHE?
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THE DANCING ELEPHANT
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AVIATION-RELATEDVISUAL ILLUSIONS

• Featureless terrain
• False horizons
• Ground lighting
• Autokinesis
• Runway width illusion
• Runway slope illusion

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AVIATION-RELATEDVISUAL ILLUSIONS

• Terrain elevation
• Atmospheric illusions
• Rotorwash drift (helicopters)
• Waterfall (helicopters)
• Brown/Whiteout (helicopters)

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VESTIBULAR APPARATUS

• Second method of position determination
• Supports vision
• Very strong in absence of vision
• Detect angular accelerations (turns)
• Detect linear acceleration gravity
• Two systems, located in middle ear

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SEMICIRCULAR CANALS
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OTOLITH ORGANS
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SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEM

• Seat of the Pants
• Aids vision and vestibular systems
• Tactile pressure receptors
• Binaural hearing

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TAKEABREAK
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SPATIAL DISORIENTATION

• Humans not flight adapted
• Vestibular/somatosensory backs up vision
• Disorientation
• Inability to determine position
• Confusion about position

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FOOLING OUR SENSES

• Sickness
• Drunk
• Unfamiliar environment
• Simulators

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SENSORY ILLUSIONS

• Sub-threshold acceleration
• Straight Level
• The Leans
• Coriolis Illusion
• Somatogravic Illusion
• Elevator Illusion

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SURVIVINGSPATIAL DISORIENTATION

• RELY ON VISION
• PRACTICE INSTRUMENT FLIGHT
• OUTSIDE REFERENCE IF POSSIBLE
• INSTRUMENTS IF NECESSARY
• SCAN
• INTERPRET
• CONTROL

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?

• QUESTIONS?

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Thanks for coming...

• Fly Safely
• Drive Safely

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TAMPA FSDO HOME PAGE

• WWW.FAA.GOV/FSDO/TPA