Aeromedical Factors

Question 1

Who may issue a medical certificate

Answer 1

AME

Question 2

Alternate ways to obtain a medical

Answer 2

SODA
Special issuance
Basic med

Question 3

Hypoxic

Answer 3

Altitude sickness
Partial pressure at altitude isn’t great enough for your lungs to ‘accept’ the oxygen - NOT a lack of oxygen at altitude

Question 4

Hypemic

Answer 4

Most commonly carbon monoxide poisoning, (CO2 binds to your blood cells 80% easier than oxygen does)
Something else is binding to a being delivered to you organs by your blood cells depriving your body of oxygen

Question 5

Histotoxic

Answer 5

Your body’s ability to deliver oxygen is impaired by drugs or alcohol or medications

Question 6

Stagnant

Answer 6

Blood flow is restricted
Pulling Gs, extreme cold, etc

Question 7

Hypoxia - general

Answer 7

Delivery of oxygen is impaired for various reasons depriving your brain of oxygen
Symptoms include headache, drowsiness, euphoria, etc
Descend or utilize supplemental oxygen

Question 8

Hyperventilation

Answer 8

Over breathing, may result in too much oxygen/CO2 deficiency
Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, tingling, etc
Breathe into a bag, consciously breathe slower, talk aloud

Question 9

Spatial disorientation

Answer 9

Pilot is unable to accurately judge their position/orientation in space
Trust your instruments

Question 10

Motion sickness

Answer 10

Brain is receiving conflicting signals from the body
Causes disorientation and nausea generally

Question 11

Fatigue and stress

Answer 11

May be chronic or acute
Acute stress and fatigue is normal, but if not fully recovered from over a long period of time will lead to chronic

Question 12

Alcohol and drugs

Answer 12

FAR 91.17
8 hours bottle to throttle BAC > .04%
Medications must be approved

Question 13

Scuba diving/decompression sickness

Answer 13

After scuba diving pilots and passengers should wait the appropriate amount of time so that their bodies may rid themselves of excess nitrogen and avoid decompression sickness
12 hours for no controlled ascent
24 hours if a controlled ascent was necessary
24 hours for any flight above 8000’ MSL

Question 14

Systems we use to orient ourselves in space

Answer 14

Vestibular
Somatosensory
Visual

Question 15

Vestibular system

Answer 15

3 semicircular canals (3 axis)
Otolith organ (acceleration and deceleration)
Eustachian tube to equalize pressure

Question 16

Illusions

Answer 16

Inversion
Coriolis
Elevator
False horizons
Leans
Autokinesis
Graveyard spiral
Somatogravic

Question 17

Runway slope/width illusions

Answer 17

A pilot may interpret a downward sloping or wider runway than they are used to as being too low on their approach and come in much too high and vice versa (CFIT)

Question 18

Visual system

Answer 18

Rods - night vision, very sensitive to light, off center viewing
Cones - day vision, sensitive to color
Rhodopsin
Roughly 30 min to adjust to night vision
Blind spot where the optic nerve attaches