"Seat of The Pants" Flying
Anyone in an aircraft that is making a coordinated turn, no matter how steep, will have little or no sensation of being tilted in the air unless the horizon is visible. Similarly, it is possible to gradually climb or descend without a noticeable change in pressure against the seat. In some aircraft, it is possible to execute a loop without pulling negative G so that without visual reference, the pilot could be upside down without being aware of it. That's because a gradual change in any direction of movement may not be strong enough to activate the fluid in the vestibular system, so the pilot may not realize that the aircraft is accelerating, decelerating, or banking.
Read more about this topic: Spatial Disorientation
Famous quotes containing the words seat of, seat, pants and/or flying:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
—Bible: Hebrew Psalm I (l. I, 1–3)
“Oh, I never use a seat belt. I don’t believe in gravity.”
—John Guare (b. 1938)
“And girls you have to tell to pull their socks up
Are those whose pants you’d most like to pull down.”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“And now for something completely different.”
—Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Catch-phrase, in Monty Python’s Flying Circus (TV series)