I THE JOURNAL OF I

I Oficial Publication of tk Aero Medical Association

I
VOLUME 28 APRIL, 1957 NUMBER 2

The Break-off Phenomenon

A Feeling of Separation from the Earth
Experienced by Pilots at High Altitude

BY BRANTCLARK,PH.D., A N D CAPTAINASHTONGRAYBIEL,MC, USN

I T is no cause for wonder that avi-

ators have unique subjective ex-
periences. Moreover, it is to be
Navy and Marine pilots were inter-
viewed. All were engaged in flying
jet aircraft, and their experience in
expected that these experiences will jets ranged from 100 to 2,200 hours
change with the changing character aloft, with a median of 330 hours. All
of aviation and with differing circum- had flown solo above 30,000 feet, and
stances attending flight. T o keep the great majority above 40,000 feet.
abreast of the changing pattern of the Their experience in propeller type air-
aviator's experiences, periodic surveys craft ranged from 120 to 6,000 hours,
are necessary. During the course of with a median of 675 hours. The
a recent inquiry, we heard pilots refer median age of the group was 27.4
to an event in their experience by the years.
term "break-off." This was defined The data were obtained by means
as a feeling of physical separation of individual interviews, utilizing a
from the earth when piloting an air- modification of the critical incident
craft at high altitude. Systematic in- technique described by Flanagan2.
qt~irydisclosed that this phenomenon After a statement of the general pur-
is of sufficient importance to deserve pose of the study, it was emphasized
investigation, a n d what follow$ wiil- that the reports would contain only a
marizes our findings. code number for identification, and
PROCEDURE thus remain anonymous. A statement
One hundred and thirty-seven was then read defining break-off as
a feeling of physical separation from
From the San Jose State College, San
Jose, California, and the U. S. Naval School the earth. The pilot was asked whether
of Aviation Medicine, Pensacola, Florida. he had ever had such an experience
Dr. Clark is professor of psychology at San
Jose State College. and whether he had ever known of
121
 BREAK-OFF PHENOMENON--CLARK AND GRAYBIEL

anyone else who had. If the pilot experience. He had not heard it
replied in the negative, a limited num- described by any other pilot and was
ber of questions were asked regard- very reluctant to mention it to other
ing his experiences at high altitude. pilots for fear he would be considered
If the reply was in the affirmative, a to be peculiar.
description of the incident and an- Those pilots who experienced it
swers to specific questions were ob- characterized the break-off effect as
tained to clarify the account. a feeling of being isolated, detached,
or separated physically from the earth.
RESULTS
They perceived themselves as some-
A content analysis of the interviews how losing their connection with the
revealed that forty-eight (35 per cent) world. Some of the statements of
of the 137 jet pilots reported that pilots describing their sensations fol-
they had experienced the break-off ef- low: " I t seems so peaceful; it seems
fect, while only thirty-two (23 per like you are in another world." "I
cent) had heard it discussed among feel like I . . . have broken the bonds
pilots. Sixteen (.12 per cent) of the from the terrestrial sphere." For some
pilots who had not had the experience pilots this is associated with marked
themselves stated that they had heard exhilaration, e.g., "I have had the
it discussed in conversation with other feeling of being detached it's
jet pilots. This makes a total of 47 really a tremendous feeling." "I wou'ld
per cent of the pilots who had either guess that people who have these ex-
experienced or ~had 'heard of the break- periences really love to fly." Two
off effect. It is significant to note others stated it this way: "In an F J,
that only a third of the pilots who had I feel like a giant." "I feel something
experienced the effect 'had discussed like a king." Three pilots reported that
it with other pilots, and a still smaller they felt nearer to God. On the other
proportion of those who had not had hand, for other pilots the reverse ap-
the experience recalled hearing it dis- pears to be true; instead of exhilara-
cussed. A number of the pilots stated tion, anxiety or fear is present, but
that the experience was very personal only eighteen (38 per cent) of the
and that it was not the sort of thing pilots who reported break-off explicit-
that flyers talk about. As one pilot ly expressed fear or anxiety. This is
remarked, "You don't discuss things illustrated by one pilot's protocol
like this." Some of them stated that which reads in part as follows: " H e
they were afraid that the experience feels alone, light, remote, and insecure.
would be considered to be "corny" or He is unhappy until he gets to a
"silly." This concern appeared to be lower altitude. He feels the need to
justified, as shown by the statement have an important objective to take
of one pilot who had not had the his mind off it." A few pilots also ap-
experience, " . . . I haven't got that pear to have experiences which ap-
poetic yet." One of the younger pilots proach the break-off effect but have
expressed some relief to know that not had the typical experience. This
some other pilots had also had this is illustrated by one pilot who in re-
122 AVIATION MEDICINE
 BREAK-OFF PHENOMENON--CLARK AND GRAYBIEL

sponse to the question stated, "No, as ten to twelve specific experiences,

but the connection is drawn thinner." but the majority of the pilots reported
Such persons were not considered to either one to four experiences or
have experienced the break-off effect. would give only an indefinite number
An additional feeling, which is com- like "several."
monly associated with the break-off When the pilots were asked to in-
effect but which is not considered to dicate what factors contributed to the
be a crucial factor, is loneliness. Lone- break-off effect, a large number of
liness was reported by thirty-eight (7l items were mentioned. The most
per cent) of the forty-eight pilots who prominent factors appeared to be that
reported break-off. Sample comments the pilot was (1) aIone, (2) at high
describing this are: " . . . you do have altitude, and (3) not particularly busy
a feeling of separation andloneliness." operating the aircraft. Forty-three
"On instrument 'hops where there is (90 per cent) of the forty-eight pilots
little to do you get bored and lonely." ~rho reported break-off experienced it
"It's very lonely alone at high alti- when they were flying alone. When
tude. I'd rather fly at 20,000 or asked at what altitude it occurred, only
25,000 feet at 44,000 feet thirty-three pilots were willing to in-
you are pretty lonely up there alone." dicate a specific altitude. The median
Loss of radio contact with the base of these estimates was 33,250 feet.
appears to accentuate these feelings with a range of 15,000 to 45,000 feet.
of loneliness. On the other hand, Three others indicated that it oc-
some of the pilots reported that they curred at "high" altitudes. The im-
never had such experiences, e.g., "I portance of high altitude is further
do get a feeling of detachment from supported by the fact that the naval
the earth. I never feel lonely." Two pilots who flew the aircraft with the
pilots who reported that they had not highest performance (FJ-3) reported
experienced the break-off effect did the largest proportion of break-off
report that they had feelings of lone- experiences. The small number of
liness. pilots flying each type of aircraft,
The reports of the break-off effect however, did not warrant statistical
obtained from these pilots do not analysis of the data so that this must
permit a clear statement regarding the be considered to be merely suggestive.
frequency of its occurrence. This ap- Twenty-four (50 per cent) of the
pears to be true in part because the pilots reported that having time on
pilots find it difficult to describe and, their hands with little to do was an
therefore, are somewhat uncertain important factor. As one pilot put
about its occurrence. However, it is it, " Y o u get break-off when yon have
clear that there are wide differences a chance to be free about your
among pilots and that for most of thoughts." Break-off does not appear
them it does not occur very often. to occur during tactical flights.
Four pilots stated that it occurred on The weather and the type of flight
all flights, and one whenever he flew were considered to be of some im-
alone. Some pilots reported as many portance by a few pilots. Either an
APRIL, 1957 123
 BREAK-OFF PHENOMENON--CLARK AND GRAYBIEL

undercast or overcast appeared to be between proportions 3. None of the

contributing factors, but fourteen pi- differences was found to be significant
lots felt that the weather was of little at even the 5 per cent level of con-
or no importance, while six pilots fidence. Therefore, it can be said that
stated that unusually good weather expressed emotion toward jet flying
was an important factor in producing is not related to the break-off effect.
the break-off effect. Additional fac- In order to get some notion of the
tors which were believed to be of im- pilot's evaluation of the importance
portance by a limited number of pilots of these experiences, the forty-eight
were cross-'country flights, training pilots experiencing the effect were
flights, flights at maximum altitude, asked specific questions regarding its
night flights, and flight by instruments. importance. In general, the pilots ap-
Individual pilots also believed that the peared to have even more difficulty
state of heaRh, inexperience, malfunc- in evaluating than in describing the
tion of the aircraft, and a long lay-off effect. In response to the question,
prior to the flight were factors of im- "Did your feelings help or hinder
portance in producing the effect. your ability to operate the plane?",
A comparison was made of the age 55 per cent of those answering replied,
and flight hours of the pilots who had "neither," and 21 per cent felt that
experienced break-off and of those it helped. Tile remainder thought it
who had not. All of the distributions either hindered, or had no opinion.
for both groups exhibited a high de- In response to the question, " I f you
gree of skewness. The Mann-Whitney have experienced this more than once,
U-test 4 was used to test the signifi- do you recall any change in your feel-
can,ce of the differences between the ings as you had more experience in
two groups, and none of the differ- flying?", 60 per cent reported no
ences was significant at even the 5 per change, 26 per cent reported a de-
cent level of confidence, including the crease, and the others either didn't
following: number of hours in pro- know or reported an increase in the
peller driven aircraft, number of hours effect. When these pilots were asked,
in jets, estimated number of hours "In your opinion should this phenom-
flown above 35,000 feet, and the great- enon be described to pilots going to
est altitude flown. The data appear altitude for the first time?", their re-
to show unequivocally that the occur- plies were about equally divided be-
rence of break-off is not dependent on tween "yes," "no," and "I don't
the pilot's flight experience. know."
Replies to specific questions related In a final question, they were asked
to emotional reactions were obtained to give their opinion regarding the
from 101 naval pilots. A comparison over-all significance of the break-off
was made of the proportion of replies effect. The majority of the pilots (57
for the thirty-three pilots who report- per cent) felt that it was of "little"
ed the .break-off effect and the sixty- or "slight" importance in their own
eight pilots who did not, using the flying, while some (26 per cent) be-
test of significance of the difference lieved that it was of moderate im-
124 .AVIATIONMEDICINE
 BREAK-OFF PHENOMENON--CLARK AND GRAYBIEL

portance. The remainder either had ber of pilots experience it often, but
no opinion about its importance or for some it is associated with a de-
believed that it was of no importance. sire to return to lower altitudes. It
In general, it can be said that al- is suggested that the break-off effect
though the break-off effect was ex- of itself may not be a major factor
perienced by 35 per cent of these jet in flight to high altitudes, but that
pilots, it was not considered generally when it is coupled with anxiety a n d /
to have a significant influence on their or fear, it may have a significant effect
ability to operate the plane. upon the pilot's performance. For
this reason, the suggestion made by
DISCUSSION
some pilots, that this phenomenon be
The break-off phenomenon may be described to pilots going alone to
defined as a feeling of physical sepa- high altitudes for the first time, ap-
ration from the earth. The predispos- pears to be valuable.
ing factors have nor been identified, It is interesting to speculate on the
but they appear to be related to the importance of the break-off phenome-
personality of the flyer. The cardinal non at extremely high altitudes. Of
precipitating factors are flying alone, interest in this connection are the
at high altitude, with relatively little reports of Bridgeman, a test pilot 1.
to do. The chief subjective feelings He makes several clear references to
are those of remoteness, loneliness, the break-off effect, although he does
and anxiety or exhilaration; there may not use this term. These experiences
be expressions of anxiety ranging are described by a man with an estab-
from increased alertness to a fear of lished reputation as an outstanding
moving about in the seat. The break- test pilot who set both speed and al-
off effect is abolished readily by a titude records and who could speak
return to lower altitude, joining up of his reactions with complete frank-
with another plane, and ofttimes by a ness and without embarrassment. The
voluntary effort to become interested following experience described by
in some problem or activity associated Bridgeman during a flight to high
with the flight. It is not abolished nec- altitude falls neatly into our definition
e.ssarily with increasing experience. of break-off: "Fifty-nine thousand,
The significance of the break-off sixty thousand, reeling off sixty-one
effect as a factor influencing flying thousand. I have left the world. There
efficiency is difficult to evaluate. This is only the ship to identify myself
is true partly because the effect ap- with, her vibrations are my own, I
pears to be somewhat nebulous in feel them as intensely as those of my
the pilots' minds and partly because body. Here is a kind of unreality
it is a highly personal experience, and mixed with reality that I cannot ex-
they do not feel completely free to plain to myself. I have an awareness
discuss it. In general, the pilots feel that I have never experienced before,
that although it is of some importance, but it does not seem to project be-
it is not a major factor influencing yond this moment . . . . And with this
flight efficiency. Only a limited num- adrenalin-inflicted state floats the feel-
A~gsL, 1957
 BREAK-OFF PHENOMENON--CLARK AND GRAYBIK:L

ing of detachment." If Bridgeman's no longer in contact with it. Forty-

experiences are typical, then the eight (35 per cent) of the pilots in-
break-off effect will become increas- terviewed reported that they had ex-
ingly important as pilots fly at in- perienced it, and that it is most fre-
creasingly higher altitudes. qu'ently associated with three condi-
tions of flight: flying (1) alone, (2)
SUM MARY
at high altitude, and (3) with a mini-
Pilots of jet aircraft, when flying mum of immediate activity required
alone to high altitudes, have occasion- during the flight. A factor such as
ally reported unusual experiences number of flight hours appears to be
which are not encountered at lower of little or no importance for the ex-
altitudes. One of these has been perience. It is suggested that although
termed a feeling of "break-off," or this effect appears to be a minor factor
separation from the earth. The pur- in flight efficiency, it may be of some
pose of this report was to investigate importance in the case of individual
the occurrence and characteristics of pilots, particularly when coupled with
this break-off effect among jet avi- emotional reactions toward flight.
ators in the Navy and Marine Corps.
Individual interviews were carried out REFERENCES
with 137 jet pilots. A content analysis 1. BRIDGEMa~, W., and HAZARD, J. : The
of the interviews revealed that the Lonely Sk.y. New York: Henry Holt,
1955.
break-off effect is a clearly defined 2. FLANAGAN,J. C. : The critical incident
phenomenon, although pilots are some- technique. Psyeh,ol. Bull., 51:327,
1954.
what reluctant to talk about it. It is 3. GUILFORD, J. P. : Fundamental Statistics
a condition of spatial orientation in in Psycholagy and Education. New
which the pilot conceives himself to York: McGraw-Hill, 1950.
4. MOSES, L. E. : Non-parametric statistics
be isolated, detached, and physically for psychological research. Psychol.
separated from the earth so that he is Bull., 49:122, 1952.

The Atmosphere in Which We Fly

As everybody knows the atmosphere we live and fly in decreases in
density and temperature as we go to 'higher and higher altitudes. Most
people have had some experience at altitudes varying from sea level to
about 10,000 feet if they have traveled in our western states. A much
smaller number have flown at altitudes up to 25,000 feet. Only a very
few of us have had any real experience at altitudes above 25,000 feet.
9 . . For most people, the atmosphere is taken for granted. They are
occasionally reminded of its presence by clouds, wind, rain, or extremes
of temperature. T o another and more technical group, the atmosphere
is a standardized medium with its temperature and pressu're defined by
a mathematical equation. Truly, it is all of these things and many
more.--ScHUYLER KLEINHANS: H o w High Should We Fly? S k y a ~ y s ,
February, 1957.

126 AVIATION MEDICINE