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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ifr-coriolis-illusion

After a long turn you look down at a chart and suddenly feel the airplane turning on another axis. What illusion is this?

The coriolis illusion.

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  1. The leans
  2. The coriolis illusion ✔
  3. The somatogravic illusion

Why: After a long turn, the ear fluid moves at the same speed as the canal. A head movement in a different plane sets the fluid moving again and creates a false sense of turning or accelerating on another axis.

Huh, didn't know that: If you drop something in the flight deck, retrieve it with minimal head movement.

The dad joke
Why did the pilot keep his head still? He did not want to stir up trouble.
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References

Answer: The coriolis illusion. After a long turn, the ear fluid moves at the same speed as the canal. A head movement in a different plane sets the fluid moving again and creates a false sense of turning or accelerating on another axis.

  1. FAA Instrument Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-15B) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/pilots/FAA-H-8083-15B.pdf
    create the illusion of turning or accelerating on an entirely different axis.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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