OPENING LINES FAA RECOMMENDS SPATIAL DISORIENTATION TRAINING FOR BUSINESS AIRCRAFT PILOTS aircraft was in a steep dive. However, the more complex and sophisticated the aircraft being flown, the more difficult it is to recognize the approach of spatial disorientation. “Unfortunately, there are very few signs of spatial disorientation,” said Thomas Zeidlik, director of aerospace physiology at the University of North Dakota. “According to the FAA, 80% of all aircraft accidents involve some sort of spatial disorientation, and the majority of those are unrecognized disorientation.The pilot is flying along thinking everything is fine until suddenly the ground, or a hill comes out of the mist.” AWARENESS IS KEY At UND, students have access to state-of-the-art fullSource: nbaa.org.,New Editor, First Published Jan/Feb Issue The rare, good thing to come out of aircraft accidents is that they can lead to recommendations to prevent future accidents. A fatal helicopter crash in 2020 attributed to spatial disorientation has prompted the FAA to recommend that pilots operating under Part 91, 91K and Part 135 receive training that helps them recognize and avoid conditions where spatial disorientation can occur. According to the recently released FAA Information for Operators (InFO) 26003, the training will be done using scenario-based exercises in a combination of ground school, simulator application and inflight instruction. Unusual attitudes and recovery are taught early in primary flight training. It often involves the pilot applicant closing their eyes while their instructor rolls the airplane into a 30-degree bank or initiates nose-up or nose-down pitch, then having the pilot applicant open their eyes, note the horizon and recover to level flight. This same procedure is part of instrument training while the student is wearing a view-limiting device. After recognizing the unusual attitude, they recover. WHAT IS SPATIAL DISORIENTATION? If a pilot does not recognize they are in a nose-high or nose-low situation, they are likely experiencing spatial disorientation – a condition where there is a conflict between visual references and the body’s sensory system, such as the inner ear. Without visual references, such as a horizon, it is easy to become confused about which way is up. Without situational awareness, the pilot may try to “correct” a perceived issue and do the opposite of what is required – for example, “correcting” a nosehigh attitude by pushing the nose down when the 15 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 02
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