PLT280: In-Flight Illusions
What code PLT280 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study In-Flight Illusions before your checkride.
Recall inflight illusions - causes / sources
What this means for your checkride
In-flight illusions fool the senses. Vestibular illusions from the inner ear (the leans, the graveyard spiral, the Coriolis illusion) and visual illusions (a sloping cloud deck, a wide or narrow runway, a black-hole approach, autokinesis) can make a pilot feel level while turning or misjudge the approach. Trusting the instruments is the defense.
Sensory illusions cause spatial disorientation and approach accidents, so the FAA tests the common illusions, their causes, and the fix: believe the instruments.
Pilots trust the seat of their pants at night or in cloud. The inner ear and visual system lie without a clear horizon; you fly the instruments and disregard the conflicting sensations.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.