Vertigo, or spatial disorientation, is a tough concept to those who’ve never experienced it. Not the extreme dizziness you get when you spin around with your forehead on a mop handle and then try to walk a straight line. Rather, it’s the more subtle form that can be the most profound danger to new instrument pilots.
Hard-core VFR pilots espouse that staying away from clouds is the only way to survive. Experienced instrument pilots have likely forgotten when it was NOT second nature to fly by the gauges — or by the large-screen PFDs in today’s light airplanes. Instrument flying students often find themselves somewhere in between, fighting to shed VFR instincts and rely on IFR training and newly developing skills. Fighting this battle can be far more challenging than instrument flying is for those who have significant experience. It’s that sensation of being in between that can be so dangerous.
