Quote:
Purposeful attempts to specifically induce spacial disorientation was never part of the exercise although spinning on limited panel `under the hood` was part of the military training syllabus and this certainly could cause disorientation
My next door neighbour now nearly 80, is a former RAF Canberra pilot. He learned to fly on Harvards. He told me instrument flying was done from the back seat with a cover over the complete cockpit so the student could not have a sneak look outside. I asked him did he have to close his eyes and put chin on chest?
He looked astonished and said what the hell for - I couldn't see outside. Spacial disorientation practice? He'd never heard of it...
Probably hadn't heard of it because he learnt to fly 60 years ago? CRM in those days meant Captains right mate! Times change!
When I was a younger cockney geezer undergoing elementary flying training, the instructor would get you to close your eyes and chin in chest. Next he would manouevre the aircraft in various ways and ask you what attitude the aircraft was in I would think (using my internal human body gyros) & then say we were in a steep turn but alas upon opening my eyes we were S&L, several more disorientation examples of why you can't trust your internal gyros to orientate yourself followed. This disorientation technique was then coupled with an unusual attitude for me/student to rectify back to S&L.
Spatial disorientation practice - now you've heard of it!