Page 24 - 213934_October20T

From the Flight Deck
by Kevin R. Dingman
Bumps in the Night
Certain airplane noises can only be heard at night
Our nighttime perceptions en- compass a complex cornucopia of psychological and sensory
ingredients: flow experience (being in the zone), depersonalization (a sense that things around us aren’t real), dis- sociative experience (lack of continu- ity between thoughts, surroundings and actions), visual deprivation, mind- wandering, disorientation and fatigue. All of which can result in summoning the Boogeyman. In a training environ- ment, it’s described as MOA – mani- festation of apprehension. But after last month’s dissertation on chemical equations, stoichiometric mixtures, CO poisoning and butter pecan ice cream, I think we’re all ready for less of the “clinical” flavor and more of the “ice cream” flavor. Since dawn is com- ing later, dusk earlier and a ghoulish but candy-coated holiday approaches, we’ll review our nighttime anxieties and piloting perceptions from a less clinical and a sweeter pilot-y vector. You Willingly
Accept Some Risk
The phrase “things that go bump in the night” is used as a humorous way of referring to real and imagined nocturnal disturbances of all sorts. The commonly cited source of its origin is a British prayer that English poet Alfred Noyes includes in his 1909 anthology “The Magic Casement.” To wit: “From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord de- liver us!”
If you love flying, you willingly ac- cept some risk from said ghoulies,
22 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2020
Don’t overreact when you hear bumps in the night – analyze the situation.
ghosties, long-leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night. Fly- ing at night offers some benefits, how- ever. The air is generally smoother, less traffic, controllers are not as busy, and convective weather with lightning is easier to spot. The main difference is, well, it’s dark, and the boogeyman lives there. Even though our pilot sens- es don’t need coaxing from darkness to stay sharp, our diminished ability to see will cause our other senses to heighten. And some of our modern- day tech may exaggerate this effect.
There is anecdotal evidence that ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) head- sets increase our awareness of previ- ously unnoticed or new sounds. I’m always amazed when I power up my Bose A20 and note which sounds disap- pear and which remain. For example, when I wad up papers the sound is crisp and clear but the sound of the instrument gyros is gone. We all know
that ANC headsets cancel out certain frequencies common to aircraft inte- riors by using a trick of physics called “anti-phase.” That is, they listen to cockpit sounds and produce a balanc- ing sine wave. Consistent noises like the low hum of engines, gyros and fans are easier to cancel when compared to sudden, random sounds like a pop, bang or bump.
Bump
(as a pilot-y noun)
A protuberance in flight; a light blow, impact or jolting collision. Often used to describe anything unknown that might be frightening to a pilot, especially a noise.