Afraid of flying? Here’s some cheery news that should put your mind at ease the next time you’re cowering in your boots in the check-in aisle.
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According to an Australian Safety Bureau report, every pilot – not “almost,” not “nearly all,” but “every” – will at some point in his flying career experience illusions in the cockpit. These illusions known as Spatial Disorientation (SD) are more common than you think, and have been linked to at least 15 to 20 per cent of all airplane crashes.
A pilot experiencing SD will lose all sense of direction and speed, and in extreme cases, may even find himself perched on the wing of the aircraft looking into the cockpit! Other illusions commonly reported by pilots according to the report include a feeling of the plane falling when it slows down, and an illusion that the plane is stationary when it’s actually turning. And no, the explanation for all this isn’t that they are spending all that free time in the cockpit sniffing fuel. It appears that the human brain behaves strangely at high altitudes.
Even more shocking than the revelation of these illusions is its widespread nature. Every pilot will experience at least one episode of SD while flying during his career. The report goes as far as to say there are two kinds of pilots — one who has already experienced an episode of SDF, and the other who will, in the future. That’s a reassuring thought.
Thankfully, the report has some advice to give pilots so they can reduce the risk of SD in the cockpit. Pilots should avoid flying when under medication or after having had a drink or two (this is common sense, no?), maintaining perfect fitness levels and more importantly, be aware of the existence of SD and how to deal with an episode when it occurs.
So the next time you’re in the air and the plane begins to lurch, don’t fret — it’s probably the pilot gone out for a smoke on the wing.