Forgive me, as I may be arriving late at this party, but have you considered fitting TSAS?
Some years ago, I had the pleasure of trying out NASA/USN's TSAS. It consisted of a pad installed on the pilot's seat and a waistcoat worn by the pilot, connected to a small pneumatic system.
ABSTRACT:
Pilots and astronauts do not experience spatial disorientation in normal day-to-day terrestrial activities. On the ground, the perception of position and motion is determined by central nervous system integration of concordant and redundant information from multiple sensory channels (somatosensory, vestibular and visual) which collectively yield veridical perceptions. In the acceleration environments experienced by pilots and astronauts, the somatosensory and vestibular senses frequently present false but concordant information concerning the direction of gravity or down. When presented with conflicting sensory stimuli, it is normal for pilots and astronauts to experience episodes of disorientation. Visual instruments and displays developed over the past 70 yr have not solved the problem. A simple solution to maintain spatial orientation is to provide true information using the same sensory channels we use so successfully on Earth.
METHODS:
The Tactile Situation Awareness System (TSAS) developed by NASA and the U.S. Navy uses a matrix of mechanical tactile stimulators (tactors) applied on the torso and limbs to convey orientation cues (e.g., gravity vector) in an intuitive fashion to the skin. A series of in-flight experiments to validate and test a variety of tactile displays and concepts has been carried out in both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
RESULTS:
Pilots were able to fly complex maneuvers with no instruments or outside visual references (blindfolded) with less than 20 min of training. Recovery from unusual attitudes solely by tactile cues was trivial. Lab tests have shown the TSAS improves performance under conditions of high workload.
CONCLUSIONS:
When orientation information is presented via intuitive tactile displays spatial orientation is easily maintained in altered sensory conditions including unusual acceleration environments.
abstract ends
I've written before that I initially perceived this to be snake oil... However, the system enabled me to hover a medium helicopter with which I was not familiar, in simulated white-out conditions, with great accuracy (I wasn't current in rotary wing flying then, either). The system was programmable through various modes according to the task, for example, hover, transition, tactical weapons modes, etc.
It works by providing tactile stimuli, and the immediate way such stimuli are transmitted to the brain is central to the system's effectiveness. Response is immediate and instinctive.
For example, if you set it ip for a six foot hover, and you sink slightly, the seat pad taps the pilot's posterior at a rate dictated by the deviation; drift left, and the left side of the torso receives a similar cue.
I wrote before: "our tactile senses are enormously overlooked in flight deck design" and I stand by those words now.
Last edited by Kerling-Approsh KG; 15th March 2011 at 18:35.