Somatogravic Illusion

I was saddened to watch a YouTube video last night of an airplane crash that killed the pilot and his 3 passengers. It caught my eye because it was the same airplane I fly: Piper Lance.

The pilot took off at night over the water, where there was no discernible horizon. Somatogravic illusion is a common sensation pilots get when they lose visual reference to the ground and sky. Their body plays tricks on them and makes them feel like they are turning when they are not, climbing when they are level, or diving. So the pilot makes erroneous corrections, leading to a crash. This pilot thought he was climbing too fast and turning to the left, so he corrected to a dive and turned to the right, then crashed into the sea.

I immediately thought of an experience I had over a year ago. I took off at night from a small airport in central Wisconsin. It was a dark, moonless night in a rural area, so there were few lights on the ground. As soon as I lifted off, I lost all visual reference and it was a terrible feeling. I didn’t know what was up or down. Fortunately, I had recently completed instrument training and my eyes went straight to my attitude indicator and other instruments. While my body was telling me to push the yoke forward, the instruments were telling me to keep climbing. I followed my instruments and flew home, safely and without incident. Had I followed my feelings, I wouldn’t be here to write this blog.

I know a lot of lives have crashed because they followed their feelings. Some reading this may be on the verge of crashing your life and injuring your loved ones because you are following your feelings. Don’t go with your gut. The gut is wrong ALL THE TIME. Instead, do what Solomon told his household:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).

You might feel like lashing out. You might feel like ending the marriage. You might feel like walking off that job. But if you do a self-analysis, you’ll realize some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in life have been driven by your feelings. That’s true for me as well.

So let’s learn the valuable lesson my flight instructor drilled into me: “Ignore how you feel. Trust your instruments. That will save your life.”

It did for me that night in Wisconsin. And it will for you with what whatever you are going through. Don’t trust your gut. Trust God. Trust His Word!