An Australian invention will save lives in the air, reducing a major cause of fatal plane crashes.

A South Australian pilot has developed a system to help pilots avoid spatial disorientation.

Spatial disorientation refers to pilots being unable to tell the correct position of their aircraft when their visual references are missing. It happens all the time, and can come from something as simple as a pilot turning their head, or bad weather clouding the view.

Some experts say it is a key factor in up to a third of all air crashes, 90 per cent of which are fatal.

But this death toll could come down with the advent of The GO Light.

The GO-Light – or Green Orientation Light – is a cockpit instrument featuring both internal and external lights that project a soft field of light throughout the cockpit and in front of the nose, giving pilots a constant, visible horizon.

The GO Light is designed to create a sense of the horizon level, without the distraction of having to peer at an Attitude Indicator.

The GO-Light was designed as a supporting partner to the Attitude Indicator, hovering in the peripheral vision of the pilot at all times.

It also projects out in front of the aircraft, so that the horizon is represented even through thick clouds and bad weather.

It is a constant beacon of light to reassure pilots that their attitude is in the correct position, but alert them instantly to the misalignment during ascent and descent, banking or rolling manoeuvres. The lights create an artificial horizon which is maintained even if the aircraft rolls, tilts or turns, to support the pilot’s natural instinct to maintain body orientation relative to the earth.

“A solution to spatial disorientation is like the elusive Holy Grail of aviation safety,” UNSW aviation lecturer Ron Bartsch told industry press Australian Flying.

“The GO Light takes the concept of the AI and turns it into a constant part of the pilot’s subconscious perception.”

It was created by South Australian pilot and businessman Russell Crane, who has a background in agriculture, engineering, retail, transport and aviation.

For over15 years, Russell has been the owner and operator of Crane Livestock Transport, and only started flying planes in 2010.

He now has experience in a broad range of aircraft, sits on the committees of numerous aviation clubs, and has created a device that could change the industry.

The GO Light is still in development, but more information and ongoing updates are available at the official site.

The following video shows what the lights may look like in operation.