In Graveyard Spin/Spiral, how long must a steady turn persist before the turn is no longer sensed?

In Graveyard Spin/Spiral, how long must a steady turn persist before the turn is no longer sensed?

• A. About 5 seconds
• B. About 15 seconds
• C. Never
• D. Over 20 seconds

Answer: (D)

The feeling of turning comes from the vestibular system, specifically the semicircular canals. They detect angular motion, but they adapt to a constant rate of turn. When a turn is steady, the sensation fades as the canals stop signaling rotation after a period of time. In a Graveyard Spiral or Graveyard Spin, this fade can happen after a relatively long duration—typically more than about twenty seconds—so a pilot may no longer sense that the aircraft is in a turn, even though the airplane remains banked and descending. That mismatch between perception and actual flight path is what leads to the dangerous spiral. So the best answer is that it takes over twenty seconds for the turn to no longer be sensed. Shorter times aren’t long enough for complete adaptation, and saying “never” isn’t accurate because the sensation does fade with continued steady turn.

The feeling of turning comes from the vestibular system, specifically the semicircular canals. They detect angular motion, but they adapt to a constant rate of turn. When a turn is steady, the sensation fades as the canals stop signaling rotation after a period of time. In a Graveyard Spiral or Graveyard Spin, this fade can happen after a relatively long duration—typically more than about twenty seconds—so a pilot may no longer sense that the aircraft is in a turn, even though the airplane remains banked and descending. That mismatch between perception and actual flight path is what leads to the dangerous spiral.

So the best answer is that it takes over twenty seconds for the turn to no longer be sensed. Shorter times aren’t long enough for complete adaptation, and saying “never” isn’t accurate because the sensation does fade with continued steady turn.