Plain English Meaning

A training machine on the ground that lets a pilot feel, in a safe setting, how the inner ear and body can fool you into thinking you're flying level when you're not. It demonstrates the false sensations that cause disorientation in real flight.

Full Definition

A ground-based training device used to safely show a pilot how the body's balance senses can produce false perceptions of motion and attitude during flight. It places the pilot in a controlled rotating or tilting environment so that the sensations of spatial disorientation can be experienced firsthand and then compared with what the instruments actually show.

Context Anchor

Seen in human factors and training, especially when why pilots must rely on when outside are poor.