This article was taken from the Daily Mail (internet newspaper) and has some facts in it, but it also has some ridiculous comments about pilots feeling an out-of-body experience while flying.  Ahart Aviation in no way promotes this type of experience.   If you ever have an out of body experience while flying, it might be a good idea to stop flying…..

 

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Pilots' 'out-of-body experiences' responsible for more than a quarter of fatal air crashes

By RICHARD SHEARS  Last updated at 16:24pm on 5th December 2007

 

Some pilots will suffer the illusion that they are sitting on the wing of their aircraft watching themselves in the cockpit, according to an extraordinary official report released in Australia.

Every pilot will at some stage lose all sense of direction, height and speed, drawing attention to spatial disorientation (SD) – one of the most common factors in plane crashes, according to a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Aviation medicine specialist Dr David Newman said 90 to 100 per cent of pilots experienced SD, which have been linked to between 15 and 26 per cent of fatal crashes worldwide.

Dr Newman drew attention to the illusion suffered by some pilots who gained the impression of sitting on the wing looking at themselves flying the aircraft, but there were other dangerous misconceptions including a feeling that the plane was falling when it was merely slowing down.

Another effect of SD was a false sensation of the aircraft rolling and another illusion suggesting the plane was flying straight ahead when it was actually turning.

Drawing attention to the "sitting on the wing" illusion, Dr Newman added: "The knife-edge illusion gives the pilot a sensation that the aircraft is precariously positioned in space and extremely sensitive to control inputs."

But he also referred to what he called the "giant hand illusion," which gives the pilot the sensation that the aircraft is "intolerable of control inputs and seemingly immovable in the air, as if held aloft by a giant handall."

The illusions, he said, often occurred when pilots were not busy while flying the plane.

Victim of SD: The plane John F Kennedy Jr piloted crashed into the Atlantic Ocean

"While seemingly bizarre, these illusions are generally associated with high altitude flight where the pilot has a relatively low level workload."

"Under such 'fish bowl' conditions, the brain can wander and generate these strange illusions."

Dr Newman's report said pilots should be aware they will experience SD sooner or later.

"If a pilot flies long enough as a career or even a hobby there is almost no chance that he or she will escape experiencing at least one episode of SD."

"Looked at another way, pilots can be considered to be in one of two groups: those who have been disorientated and those who will be."

The specialist said he issued the warning so that pilots could take measures to reduce the impact of SD by flying when fit.

They should not fly under the influence of alcohol or medications, which increase awareness of spatial disorientation illusions.