Marty Shapiro writes:

There was one study which gave the
non-instrument rated pilot 180 seconds to live if they didn't get back to
VMC conditions.

Why won't all his "sensations" help him?

The Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) moves in 6 axis. In addition to the 3
rotational axis (roll, pitch, yaw) it also moves 40 feet forward/back, 8
feet left/right, and 60 feet vertically. It also has precise OTW (Out The
Window) displays and has been used to simulate everything from blimps to
helicopters to jet fighters to space shuttles.

Yes. But a real aircraft moves the length of a football field forward
every second, and it can drop 100 feet per second. So all full-motion
simulators depend a lot on the weaknesses of human perception.

No. The sensation of acceleration is very reliable. Without the necessary
visual cues, the body can easily misinterpret the sensed acceleration.

These two statements conflict with each other.

If the body did not sense acceleration, there would be no conflict between
what you are seeing on the instrument panel and what the body is feeling.

If the body sensed accelerations correctly, there would be no
conflict, either.

Repeat this same experiment, but this time open your eyes before your
friend stops the chair. This time you will not think you are now turning
in the opposite direction. Even though the fluid in your inner ear is
still moving in the original direction, the visual cues provided by your
eyes combined with the differential in speed with the fluid in your inner
ear causes the correct interpetation that this is a negative acceleration,
ie you're slowing down or stopped.

Simulators use the same methods to convince pilots that they are
really moving.

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