178 Seconds to live - Spatial Disorientation

[navajopa31]

navajopa31 cont. Have a spare quality flashlight, spare batteries and a spare bulb. Turn the batteries around so they cannot run down if the flashlight is accidently turn on during the day. I took a single pilot IFR Part 135 check ride with the FAA and to demostrate partial panel the check pilot took away or blocked my guages. I lost flight director, art. horizon, airspeed indicator, 1 nav., and the adf. Shot a ILS to minimums on 1 engine. It can be done. You have to work and practice to do it.

[navajopa31]

Retired 10,000 hour general aviation pilot with 1108 hours IFR! First: the reason they put rudder pedals on the airplane is so YOU CAN TURN AROUND when you fly VFR into IFR conditions. Second: An IFR ticket is a license to learn. Third: If you do not believe your instruments you will DIE. Every IFR pilot should practice with partial panel with a hood and a flashlight between his legs at night. It makes a big difference. Every night IFR flight I took I had a flashlight between my legs ready.

[MissyMicole23]

Wings level, airspeed stable, and then consider your heading its called the scan learn it live it or die.

[andywright1]

BELIEVE YOUR INSTRUMENTS!

[Rikki0]

I did this today with my instructor. He would not let me look at my instruments and made me read him the check list while doing a left turn. Wound up in the classic death spiral. Everything seemed normal except for the screaming engine, plane shaking, and the wind howling (he never let us exceed maximums). Recovered quickly when he let me look at instruments. His point was " If you don't trust your instruments, it's the same as not seeing them". TRUST YOUR AI !!!!!!!!!!

[CamaRO9923]

This is a great video and I "never want to say never" but I can't see how a competent pilot can get into this problem.

I saw this video before I had my instrument rating and now that I do have my rating and actual IMC time.. I still don't see how it can happen. It's basic common sense and knowledge: Ignore your body, trust your instruments.

[navajopa31]

@CamaRO9923 Look up Vertigo. It can happen to expierenced IFR pilots. You really have to over ride it. Leaving your strobe lights on in clouds at night can bring it on. So can quinine as in tonic water. You are a business man who got up a 6 a.m. Flew two hours for a meeting that will be over at 3. The meeting ran long and you take off at 5:30 p.m. in the dark. The weather is a little worse than forecast. You are tired and thinking about your business. All of a suden you flying partial panel.

[TrollerCoasterRide]

@CamaRO9923

The problem is... there are not enough competent people out there to do so.

[debiassi]

Its a natural feeling to trus what your body tells you and thats why so many pilots lose their lives due to this phenomenon. I would urge you to steer clear of cloud unless you are suitably and legally qualified to fly in them. Of course it is illegal to fly not only in cloud but even close to cloud without the relevant rating so that sort of points to the hazards that can be present. Safe flying

[debiassi]

an IR is not an excuse to fly in the clouds?? Your showing your inexperience now. If you are on an instrument departure or arrival or your being vectored in busy airspace and a cloud is in the way what are you gonna do?? IR rated pilots are required to fly through cloud every day on commercial and non commercial operations. This is a topic on S D not the IR rating. The difference between an IR rated pilot is it feels natural to trust the instruments and thats is learned,

[posthastey]

But...but...I'm a doctor with a Bonanza and an island beach house. How could this happen to me?

[debiassi]

An instrument rating takes the same amount of training as that required for a private pilots license and for very good reason. Its not just the fact that your senses play tricks on you which they most certainly do and this is due to receptors and nerves in your inner ear but also in some clouds there are very strong updrafts and downdrafts which many pilots arent familliar with. Add to that the risk of icing and you have a very dangerous cocktail. Get some training, it will save your life!!!!

[tikurgisila]

scary. don't fly ur goddamn plan in bad weather if u can't read instruments

[Dustoffam]

ummm HELLO! look at your damed artificial horizon! you have to be a real goober to get into this kind of a situation.

[CamaRO9923]

Easy to say from a chair. Did u ever do any hood work at least? Real easy to get fooled by what you feel the plane is doing as opposed to what it really is.

Getting obsessed by heading and airspeed, it's easy to overlook attitude.

[Dustoffam]

As a matter of fact I have flow a plane with my eyes closed and kept a perfectly normal attitude (the secret is in listening to the engine) and much more hood work after that.Its the most basic flying skills that even a private pilot learns, trust your instrumets not your gut.

[CamaRO9923]

Totally agree. However it's one thing to do it knowing ur instructor is with you and you're practicing, it's quite another to throw in panic ... never know how u'll react until you're in the situation.

statistics don't lie mate...

[debiassi]

I bet you did that in clear and stable air eh? completely different when your trying to focus on something that isnt there and you add natural anxiety of not seeing what makes you feel comfortable. Please for your sake dont be fooled by comparing closed eyes to loss of outside visibility and adverse weather factors in the clouds.

[Dustoffam]

umm I dont know, but I kinda avoid unstable air and adverse weather by checking the weather on ADDS and not flying into a storm. An instrument rating i not a excuse to fly in the clouds its better preparation in case you absolutely have to. On that note I have flown through plenty of rough weather in IFR conditions on commercial and military aircraft and we never went spinning to the ground.

[adamal93]

174.6 seconds actually... . .

[footballhokie]

i clocked it at 172.2. lol

[teh0power0rangerer]

LOL

[gomashedpotatoes]

dats pretty good