Spatial Disorientation for Pilots - Research Paper Example

The aviation industry provides human beings with an interesting opportunity to venture into the air. However, the Profession faces a number of challenges, just like most of the other professional fields. Given the imperfect nature of human beings, those in this field face a number of things that may make them commit errors as they practice their profession. Consequently, the following discussion aims at highlighting spatial disorientation of pilots. It further elaborates on the different types of disorientation, causes, and possible solutions. Definition of Spatial disorientation Webb, Estrada and Kelley, quote Benson, who defines spatial disorientation refers as “a pilot’s failure to correctly sense the position, motion, or attitude of his or her aircraft or himself or herself with respect to the surface of the earth” (224). This follows the pilot’s reliance on the visual, vestibular, as well as Proprioceptive systems to determine the orientation of the flight. These systems can give illusioned information relating to the size, distance, and sensations of tilt and rotation, thus posing a safety hazard. Therefore, spatial disorientation can also be termed as the limited situational awareness that a pilot maintains during the flight. It can occur at any time, whether at night or during the day. It follows the limited capacity that human beings for handling certain issues in life. They operate in a dynamic environment, which expects them to operate efficiently, without regard to the various factors that can hinder such efficiency. However, most of these factors can be dealt with accordingly, thus minimizing spatial disorientation. Types of spatial disorientation Three types of spatial disorientation occur in the field of aviation. Type I disorientation relates to when the pilots do not sense any unusual occurrence. The pilots tend to be in a state that makes them believe in the normalcy of the aircraft’s response to the required inputs. This results from the pilot’s lack of concentration on the primary flight instruments. Lack of concentration can be due to distractions that make the pilot shift attention to another source for a considerable amount of time. Type II disorientation occurs when the pilot senses the existence of conflicting orientation cues. The pilot becomes unsure of what the flight instruments depict in relation to their personal interpretation, as well as what the out-the-window view signals. Such cases arise when the pilots shift their attention from the flight instruments for a substantial period, or when they break from a cloud in an unusual position. In most of these cases, the pilot gets to control the aircraft, or manages to access the help of another pilot. On the other hand, if the pilots fail to control type II spatial disorientation, the problem becomes more risky, leading to an incapacitating spatial disorientation, or type III spatial disorientation. This involves the awareness of the pilot of the conflicting cues. However, the state of the aircraft confuses the professionals, leading to incorrect adjustments. Making changes to the incorrect actions usually poses great difficulty, which makes recovery impossible in most cases. Research by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center, further illustrates the prevalence of accidents caused by these three types of disorientation. Type I disorientation poses the highest amount of risk, compared to the other two. This follows the fact that the pilots do not get to realize the potential danger, which means that no precautions take place to counter the hazard. Type III disorientation poses a minimal risk, which means that most pilots gather courage to correct anomalies, while a small percentage fails to gather such confidence (Webb, Estrada & Kelley, 225). Causes of spatial disorientation A number of factors contribute to the spatial disorientation in aviation. These include environmental, cognitive, psychological, as well as physiological factors. Environmental factors These include degraded visual environments, which can be experienced when an aircraft intends to land, or when maneuvering in dusty, sandy, or marine environments. Night flying, just like the degraded visual environments reduce the visibility cues of the pilot, thus disorienting the pilot as they sense the situation of the aircraft in a limited way. More to these, formation flying, especially, in adverse weather may lead to spatial disorientation as the second aircraft relies on the leader for orientation cues. In cases where the second aircraft loses visual contact with the leader, the pilot of the second aircraft may find it difficult readjusting himself, leading to spatial disorientation (Nicholson, 80). Psychological factors Break-off serves as one of the psychological factors that prevent pilots from taking control of the aircraft during spatial disorientation. It makes the pilot feel detached from the earth, especially when flying at high altitudes, and in areas with poor visibility. Fascination can also cause disorientation, because the pilot focuses on an object, or goal, thus hinders his or her ability to respond timely to orientation cues. Overconfidence also compels some pilots to relax, and assume the safety of the aircraft. However, sudden events may occur that require the vigilance of the pilot. Such unintended events lead to severe outcomes as the minds of the pilot fail to respond in due time. Apart from these factors, a pilot may experience a temporal distortion, which can be caused by a pilot being stressed. The pilot fails to keep a correct account of time, thus leading to grave miscalculations. Incidences that relate to a pilot being in control of the entire situation, and then a sudden change occurs making them unfamiliar with their environment also leads to the disruption of pilots, thus disorienting their minds (Previc, & Ercoline, 179-184). Possible Solutions Pilots need to be trained on the various ways that they can use to overcome this hazard. Anti disorientation training, for example, helps pilots in overcoming the risks associated with spatial disorientation. Given that the training some pilots, such as, VFR pilots does not prepare them sufficiently on how they should deal with unusual attitudes, taking them through an orientation training helps in many ways. The training when done effectively facilitates the ability of the pilots to identify attitudes from the from the flight instruments, thus enabling them to take appropriate recovery mechanisms (Tropper, Kallus & Boucsein, 272). Automatic systems that safeguard against ground and air collision can also be used to reduce the risks associated with spatial disorientation. This follows the need for pilots to maintain maximum concentration for them to perform. They require to be alert, to maintain a proper situational awareness of their flight. Consequently, automatic aids that include intuitive displays that promote the sensory capability of the pilot should be developed to promote the performance of pilots. These include such developments as, the tactile situation awareness system, which provides the pilots with the necessary orientation information in a timely manner. The technologies should also enhance the ability of the pilots to predict the state of the landing environment, thus countering the failure of vestibular systems, as well as vestibular illusions (Estrada, 69). Combating the technicalities posed by degraded visual environments require the use of technologies that provide high-resolution intuitive that can penetrate dust, sand, or snow that hinders proper visibility of pilots. Conclusion Conclusively, spatial disorientation poses significant threats to humanity as it contributes greatly to the number of fatal accidents in the aviation industry. It results from the inability of the pilot to sense the prevailing aircraft situation, which can be caused by a number of factors. Human factors, such as being stressed, fatigued, or being under medication contributes to the occurrence of various accidents. Lack of concentration also accelerates disorientation. Therefore, pilots ought to ensure that they maintain a sober mind when flying the aircrafts, and take the necessary precaution to avert any potential danger. Works Cited Estrada, Arthur. “Oral Session 2: Spatial Disorientation." Journal of Vestibular Research: Equilibrium & Orientation 21.2 (2011): 69-72. Print. Nicholson, A. The Neurosciences and the Practice of Aviation Medicine. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited, (2011). Print. Previc, Fred. & Ercoline, William. Spatial Disorientation in Aviation, Volume 203. Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, (2004). Print. Tropper, Karin., Wolfgang Kallus, & Wolfram Boucsein. "Psychophysiological Evaluation of an Antidisorientation Training For Visual Flight Rules Pilots in a Moving Base Simulator." International Journal of Aviation Psychology 19.3 (2009): 270-286. Print. Webb, Catherine., Arthur Estrada III., & Amanda, Kelley. "The Effects of Spatial Disorientation on Cognitive Processing." International Journal of Aviation Psychology 22.3 (2012): 224-241. Print. Read More