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The pilot should remember that a person cannot feel control pressures with a tight grip on the controls. Relaxing and learning to control with the eyes and the brain instead of muscles usually takes considerable conscious effort. 

The pilot must believe that the flight instruments show the aircraft’s pitch attitude and direction regardless of what the natural senses tell. The vestibular sense (motion sensing by the inner ear) can confuse the pilot. Because of inertia, the sensory areas of the inner ear cannot detect slight changes in aircraft attitude nor can they accurately sense attitude changes which occur at a uniform rate over a period of time. On the other hand, false sensations are often generated, leading the pilot to believe the pitch attitude or direction attitude of the aircraft has changed when, in fact, it has not. These false sensations result in the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation. 

##  Attitude Control 

Attitude is defined as “The position of an aircraft as determined by the relationship of its axes and a reference, usually the earth’s horizon.” For WSC, the pitch and the roll are the relevant attitudes. 

Most aircraft are generally, by design, inherently stable platforms and, except in turbulent air, maintain approximately straight-and-level fl ight if properly trimmed and left alone. They are designed to maintain a state of equilibrium in pitch, roll, and yaw. The pilot must be aware, however, that a change about one axis affects the other axes. The WSC aircraft is stable in the yaw and pitch axes, but less stable in the roll axis. The yaw and pitch axes of the WSC are easy to control, but the roll axis is the challenge for WSC aircraft control in IMC. The key to emergency aircraft attitude and directional control, therefore, is to: 

• Fly at the normal trim speed. To climb, increase throttle; to descend, decrease throttle. To fl y level, fly at the throttle setting that provides level fl ight. The vertical speed indicator or altimeter provides information regarding pitch attitude. 

• Resist the tendency to overcontrol the aircraft. Fly with fingertip control. No attitude changes should be made unless the flight instruments indicate a defi nite need for a change. 

• Make all attitude changes smooth and small, yet with positive pressure. 

The primary instrument for roll control is the attitude indicator if so equipped. [Figures 13-9 and  13-10] 

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For aircraft not equipped with an attitude indicator, a magnetic compass [Figure 13-11]  or a GPS [Figure 13-12] are the instruments that can be used for roll control. The compass stays stationary and the WSC aircraft rotates around the compass dial. A pilot is flying wings level if the compass heading is not changing. If the compass is changing direction, the aircraft is banked into a turn. Similarly, the GPS provides ground track. If flying wings level, the GPS ground track is steady. If the GPS ground track is changing, the aircraft is in a bank and turning. 

##  Turns 

Turns are perhaps the most potentially dangerous maneuver for the untrained instrument pilot for two reasons: 

• The normal tendency of the pilot to overcontrol, leading to steep banks. 

• The inability of the pilot to cope with the instability resulting from the turn. 

As an example, a 180° turn would be the most likely turn to exit a cloud and return to where there is visibility with the surface. The direction the turn started should be noted in order to determine the direction needed to exit the IMC conditions. For example, if heading North when flying into the cloud, turn 180° and head South to exit the cloud. 

