Originally Posted by
PHLGovFlyer
Because of all of this, passenger's perceptions of accelerations are typically not good indicators of what is actually happening to an aircraft.
If anyone here ever gets a chance to observe a simulator in operation, from the outside of the sim, try to guess what maneuver the sim is simulating. Here's a hint - if the "nose" of the sim tilts up it's simulating either acceleration or a climb at constant speed. Both increase the pressure of the seat on your back and only visual/physical cues can distinguish which it is. Inside the sim, if the visual shows the plane on the runway and the power has just been pushed up the brain tells the body "we're accelerating." So a passenger with no visual cues can feel like the plane is accelerating from the nose pitching up. In short, the brain is easily mislead.
Would be pilots, before they're cleared for solo flight, go through exercises with their instructor. The instructor takes control of the plane and has the student put his head down so he can't see outside or the instruments. The instructor then put's the plane into some unusual attitude - nose high rolling left and speed decreasing for example. At the instructor's command, the student looks at the instruments and bring the plane back to cruise flight. The whole purpose is to teach the student to trust their instruments, not what they feel.
Jim