Spatial Disorientation Scenarios for the AW159 Helicopter Within a Synthetic Training Environment

BACKGROUND: Spatial disorientation (SD) remains a stubborn and formidable challenge among rotary wing (RW) aircrews, particularly during times of high workload and deceptive visual cues. With tri-Service agreement, British RW Forces employ a layered training approach that now includes simulator-based immersive scenarios.METHODS: Ten bespoke RW SD training scenarios were developed for the AW159 Wildcat helicopter simulator by a multidisciplinary team. Scenarios were embedded within advanced training packages that were not solely focused on SD. A voluntary, anonymous survey instrument was distributed post-SD sortie to assess hazard awareness, training effectiveness, role and mission relevance, and perceived ability to respond to future SD threat. A corresponding assessment from the simulator instructor was used for independent determination if the crew became disoriented during the training.RESULTS: Over a 6-mo training cycle, 69 surveys were completed. Seven-point Likert-scale assessments yielded elevated median scores (6.0, respectively) across all four categories, suggesting favorable aircrew perceptions of training objective success. Elevated scoring of previous SD training received suggests good penetrance among the RW community surveyed. Of all sorties flown, the majority of aircrew (68%) became disoriented at some point during the sortie.DISCUSSION: This report provides limited evidence in support of bespoke SD training scenarios within a synthetic training environment. The merits include flexible ability to address root causes, provision of an interactive and immersive environment, and compatibility with extant tactics and mission configurations. SD simulator-based training can serve as an important component of a layered, multimodal approach.Bushby AJR, Gaydos SJ.