Spatial disorientation cue effects on gaze behaviour in pilots and non-pilots

Abstract

Spatial disorientation (SD) poses a serious threat to flight safety. A pilot’s gaze behaviour that characterizes his/her visual perception and attention determines success in dealing with this phenomenon. Regardless of a pilot’s experience or proficiency, sensory illusions can lead to differences between instrument indications and what the pilot “feels”. Understanding how simulator-induced SD cues affect gaze behaviour in pilots and non-pilots is our interest and was addressed as the aim of this research. Using a SD flight simulator, 40 male (20 military pilots; 20 non-pilots) were exposed to 12 flight sequences. We measured and compared subjects’ gaze behaviour and flight performance in response to three visual and three motion illusions across two groups (pilots vs. non-pilots) and flight type (non-SD vs. SD flight). From the applied SD cues only in three illusions (false horizon, somatogyral, and Coriolis), the difference in visual attention distribution in comparison with non-SD flight was observed. There was no interaction of expertise and flight type. The pilots had shorter mean fixation time than non-pilots, except for landings. For the same SD flight profiles, we found the changes of the subjects’ gaze behaviour and flight performance. The SD cues affect both the pilots and non-pilots in the same way; therefore, being an expert in piloting aircraft does not reduce the susceptibility of the pilot to loss of their spatial orientation. Eye-tracking technology could be useful in the analysis of the pilots’ attention and better understanding and training of pilots’ flight performance during SD events.