Some decades ago I was doing a Form 5 ride in a C182. At 400 feet on takeoff the check pilot reached across and pulled the keys out of the mag switch. I turned 180 and landed on a taxiway. That night I got curious about what might have happened if I'd tried a steep turn to reach the runway at that speed. Next day I climbed to 5000 feet AGL, set up 85 knots and pulled a 45 degree bank. I spun, and took 1500 feet to recover.
Great story, good check pilot.
[ Without knowing it, we have all seen the "visual cliff" effect/instinct demonstrated by infants who are accomplished crawlers/creepers. Briefly, when they are placed on an unfamiliar floor and allowed to roam, they will come to a quick halt when they arrive at a transition in the floorcovering. The instinct is extremely strong when the transition is from a patterned and/or rough flooring (wood, carpet, etc.) to a flooring that is shiny or that gives no visual clues that it is solid. The youngster may sit at the transition and, when given time, reach across the transition and pat the new surface with one hand. Those who are pretty bold may eventually cross the transition and try it out. Those who are not so bold may turn around and "flee." ]
And THAT explains why I've seen that same behavior in horses before - they're crossing a bridge, cruising along just fine, and all of a sudden a white line in the middle of the road makes them flinch and look for a way out of what you've asked them to do.
