Human Factors Flashcards
1
Q
Class 1 Medical
A
Validity: 1 year or 6 months when over 65
To exercise the privileges of CPL and ATPL
2
Q
Full Class 2 Medical
A
Valid: 4 years below 40 or 2 years when 40 and above
For the privileges of an RPL and PPL and, if non-passenger carrying, CPL (MTOW < 8616kg)/flight instructing
3
Q
Basic Class 2
A
GP Issuable
PPML: Private Pilot Medical License
For MTOW < 8618kg, day VFR, < 10,000ft AMSL, max 5 paxs, piston engine, no operational ratings, no flight activity endorsements
Valid: 5 years under 40
: 2 years over 40
: 1 year over 70
4
Q
Class 3 Medical
A
ATC
Valid: 2 years
5
Q
RAMPC Medical
A
Valid: 2 years under 65 years or GP dependent
: 12 months 65 and over
For single engine piston aircraft, MTOW < 1500kg, day VFR, < 10,000ft AMSL, no aeros and only 1 pax
6
Q
Heart Disease and Angina
A
Angina: a symptom of an underlying heart problem (eg. coronary heart disease)
Reduces blood supply to the heart due to blocked arteries, placing stress on the heart, leading to pain
Causes include: smoking, high cholesterol, obesity and alcohol
7
Q
Atmospheric Makeup
A
Nitrogen 78%
Oxygen 21%
Carbon Dioxide 0.03%
Which remain constant with altitude
8
Q
ISA Temperature and Pressure
A
Temperature: Drops 1.98 deg per increase of 1000 feet in altitude
Pressure: Drops 1 hpa per increase of 30 feet in altitude
9
Q
Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI’s)
A
Very common, usually airborne in nature
Results in pain and pressure of the ear due to middle ear infections
10
Q
Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
A
Reddening of the eyes
Blockages of airways
Headaches
11
Q
Examples of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
A
Cold Flu Hayfever Congestion Sinus Infections
12
Q
Daltons Law of Partial Pressure
A
Total pressure exerted by a volume of gas is equal to the partial pressures of the individual gasses
13
Q
Pressure Required by the Human Body
A
Requires at least 55mmHg or 74hpa of pressure to breathe naturally, approx 10,000ft
Average pressure = 1013.25 hpa, pressure exerted by oxygen = 21% = 212hpa
14
Q
Hypoxia
A
A condition in which the body is deprived of oxygen
15
Q
Types of Hypoxia
A
- Hypoxic: Oxygen reduced (eg. high altitudes, as low as 4000 ft AMSL)
- Anaemic: Carrying capacity reduced (eg. low red blood cells, CO poisoning)
- Stagnant: Circulation reduced (eg. poor circulation)
- Histotoxic: Interference of the use of oxygen (eg. alcohol)
16
Q
Signs and Symptoms of Hypoxia
A
Vision impairment Cyanosis Mental confusion and poor judgement Poor motor coordination Hyperventilation Feeling of euphoria Apprehension Nausea and headaches Dizziness Hot and cold flushes Numbness and tingling Unconsciousness Death
17
Q
Causes of Hypoxia
A
Smoking Drinking Extreme temperatures Physically unfit Increased demand for oxygen
18
Q
Food Poisoning
A
Gastroenteritis
#1 cause of pilot incapacitation
Caused by bacteria, viruses and other pathogens
19
Q
Symptoms of Food Poisoning
A
Nausea Stomach cramps Vomiting and diarrhoea Fever Headaches
20
Q
Headaches and Migraines
A
Non-specific pain symptoms (many causes)
Neurological disorder characterised by repeated attacks of severe and debilitating headaches
Generally between 4 hours and 3 days
21
Q
Symptoms of Headaches and Migraines
A
Throbbing and pulsating to one side of the head
Nausea
Sensitivity to bright lights and noise
22
Q
Pregnancy
A
CASA allows 30 weeks and 6 weeks after
Problems arise from ergonomics and mood swings
23
Q
Physical Injuries
A
Can interfere with pilots capacity
24
Q
Ageing
A
Reduces response time, increases likelihood of medical complications, deteriorations in sensory info
RPT pilot retirement: 65 years of age
PIC over 60 must have a younger co-pilot
25
Blood Donations
Side effects: within 10-15 mins, cause dehydration
| DAME advice, with 24hrs before flight operations
26
Dehydration
Deficiency of water
| Symptoms: Headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness and light headedness, delirium, swelling of the tongue, unconsciousness
27
Alcohol
Absorbed rapidly through the stomach and small intestine and is transported to the brain via blood
Can prevent the brain from making use of oxygen
Can remain for 72 hours
A central nervous system depressant
28
Effects of Alcohol
```
Impaired reaction time, judgement, thinking process and memory
Blurred/double vision
Dizziness
Decreased hearing perception
Slurred speech
Impaired motor skills
```
29
Elimination of Alcohol
Excrete 2% - 8% and metabolise 92% - 98%
| Average rate of elimination: 15mg/hr or 1.5 standard drinks per hour
30
Hangover
```
Nausea
Headaches
Vomiting
Lethargy
Upset sleep patterns
Impaired judgement
Dry mouth and thirst
```
31
Blood Alcohol Concentration
Amount of alcohol in a persons blood stream by measuring the difference between the absorption rate and elimination rate, plateaus 30 mins after last drink
Affected by body size, food intake, body fat, gender and amount of alcohol consumed
32
Law on Alcohol Consumption
8 hours prior to scheduled time of departure cannot drink with a 0 BAC whilst on duty
A 0.02% buffer for perfume and mouthwash
33
Prescription Drugs
Prescribed by a doctor and should consult a DAME before consuming to ensure no side effects
34
Hyperventilation
The washout of carbon dioxide from your body
The body is ventilating carbon dioxide faster than it can produce it, voluntarily or involuntarily, characterised by over-breathing
35
Symptoms of Hyperventilation
```
Dizziness
Weakness
Lightheadedness
Shortness of breath
Tingling around the mouth and fingertips
```
36
Treatment for Hyperventilation
Remove person from the causes of stress
| Paper bag method
37
Acceleration (G Forces)
A measurement of acceleration a body feels as an increase or decrease of 'apparent weight'
Blood to the head: Negative G manoeuvres - redout (-2.0g)
Blood at the feet: Positive G manoeuvres - greyout (+3.5g)/balckout (+5.0g)/G-LOC (>+5.0g or +5.0g sustained)
38
Atmospheric Pressure Changes
Trapped gasses (dysbarism or barotrauma)
- Will cause a problem with atmospheric pressure changes
- If body cannot equalise pressure discomfort can occur
- Certain foods can increase the likelihood: onions, radishes, beans cabbage, etc
39
Application of Boyles Law to Diving
As a diver ascends the surrounding pressure decreases and the compressed nitrogen expands, if not completed slowly enough pain can be caused: decompression sickness
40
Symptoms of Decompression Sickness
```
Joint pain
Muscle pain
Numbness
Tingling
Red rash
Respiratory problems
Paralysis
Death
```
41
CASA Guidelines for Diving
Dive with no decompression stops = 4 hours rest
Dive for less than 4 hours with decompression stops = 12 hours rest
Dive for > 4 hours with decompression stops = 48 hours rest
42
Toxic Hazards
Carbon monoxide poisoning: incomplete combustion of carbon compounds from the aircraft engine
An aircraft may have carbon monoxide detectors
43
Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
```
Headaches
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Disorientation
Nausea and vomiting
Rapid heartbeat
Loss of hearing
Weakness
Loss of consciousness
Seizures
Respiratory failure
Cardiac arrest
```
44
Treatment for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Remove the source or person
Ensure fresh air
medical treatment
45
Information Processing
The 5 senses receive information and send it to the brain (the central processing unit of the body)
Works in this way:
1. Sensation: information received
2. Perception: what the brain thinks is happening
3. Response: how the brain is going to respond
4. Action: now the body acts
Limited by :
- The number of items the mind can hold
- The rate at which the mind can process and use the stimuli
46
Human Memory
Process in which information is stored, encoded and retrieved
47
Short Term Memory
2-5 seconds
48
Long Term Memory
Indefinite
Consists of:
- Semantic memory: memory of meaning, understanding and other concept based knowledge
- Episodic memory: memory of autobiographical events (times, places and associated emotions)
49
Stress
Natural human mechanism inbuilt for reasons of survival
Positive or negative condition impacting a persons mental and physical well-being
Short term = acute: Can increase performance
Long term = chronic: Occurs with a lack of recovery time between acute stress events
A persons 'Fight or Flight Mechanism"
50
Types of Stressors
Environmental: from surrounding environment
Heat: excessive heat leading to dehydration
Cold: excessive cold
Vibration: shockwaves can damage body tissue
Domestic: home life
Work: workplace
51
Symptoms of Stress
```
Fatigue
Memory problems
Moodiness and irritability
Withdrawn personality
Alcohol and drug abuse
Lack of sleep
Kidney and liver problems
```
52
Stress Management
Relaxation therapy
Finding an outlet (exercise)
Medicine
Cognitive behavioural therapy
53
Fatigue
Subjective feeling of tiredness, categorised as acute or chronic in nature
54
Acute Fatigue
Tiredness within approx 24 hours
55
Chronic Fatigue
Prolonged fatigue which becomes debilitating
56
Fatigue Treatment
Rest
Diagnose
Medical attention
Medication
57
Ergonomics
Engineers incorporate ergonomic design features
Improve efficiency and safety for the human body and cognitive abilities
Reduce the risk of errors and confusion and prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI)
58
The Ear
Responsible for hearing, balance and body position
59
Outer Ear
Pinna (auricle)
Ear canal
Ear drum
60
Middle Ear
Air filled cavity
Ossicles: Hammer, anvil and stirrup (3 bones), which amplify the vibrations
Eustachian tube: Connected to the upper throat, which equalises pressure between internal and external pressures, allowing air to escape more easily than entering
61
Inner Ear
Cochlea: Converts vibrations to nerve impulses via tiny hairs
Semi-circular canals
Otolith organs: Utrical and saccule
Auditory nerve
Split anatomically into bony and membranous labyrinths
62
Path Through the Ear
```
Pinna
Ear canal
Ear drum
Ossicles
Cochlea
```
63
Eustachian Tube
Descent: Increase in pressure, air wants to enter which can cause pain
64
Valsalva Manoeuvre
Equalise any pressure differentials, opens eustachian tube to allow air to enter
65
Hearing Loss
1. Conductive: defect of bones (ossicles) or ear drum
2. Sensorineural: failure of the auditory nerve
3. Presbycusis: age induced
Decibel level above 85 deemed hazardous
140 decibel level will cause pain
66
The Eye
Binocular in its makeup
| Responsible for sight, balance and body position
67
Path Through the Eye
Cornea
Lens (fine focus): Controlled by ciliary muscles which also controls the iris, altering the size of the pupil (giving light), in line with the fovea (central cones) and the retina (rods) for peripheral vision
Image is transferred to the brain by the optic nerve
68
Components of the Eye
Pupil: Allows light to enter onto the retina
Lens: 25% - fine focusing
Cornea: 75% - coarse focusing
Retina: Contains photo receptors
- Cones: Colour, shape, detail, bright light (fovea), don't work well at night (create a blind spot), forms central vision, concentrated on fovea
- Rods: Forms peripheral vision, distinguish movement with no colour and little detail, work best in low levels of light, located on the outside edges of the retina
69
Light Adaptation
Approx 5 mins for eye to adapt to bright from dark
| Approx 30 mins to adapt from dark to light
70
Empty Field Myopia (Short sightedness)
Eyes have nothing to focus on and lens relaxes, focusing automatically at a range of 1-2 metres ahead
Causes blurred vision without pilot knowledge
Detection of movement outside of the field of view can be delayed and hard to determine in nature and range
71
Glare
Reduction of pupil size, arising from bright light
| Use a visor or sunglasses
72
Colour Vision
Pilots must have full colour vision due to coloured charts
73
Myopia
Short-sighted
Cornea is elongated in the horizontal plane
Light isn't directly focused on the retina
Correction with a concave lens
74
Hypermetropia
```
Long-sighted
Cornea elongated in the vertical plane
Focus on things far away
Image focuses behind the retina
Corrected with a convex lens
```
75
Astigmatism
Cornea becomes uneven in its shape
Light focuses in front or behind the retina
Correction with a cylindrical lens
76
Presbyopia
Progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age
Lens hardens and ciliary muscles become weaker
77
Flicker Vertigo
Imbalance in brain-cell activity due to an exposure to a flickering light causing disorientation
78
Illusions and Disorientation
Enhanced by: bad weather, saccadic eye movement (eyes jiggle - less focus), haze, pollutants and sunlight
To prevent risks: fly with visual reference, avoid staring at lights, fatigue - allow eyes to adapt to lights
79
Equilibrium
Established and maintained in the human body with three sensory systems: visual, auditory and proprioceptive systems
80
Without Equilibrium
Can lead to disorientation
- The leans (body doesn't recognise a slow turn)
- Linear and angular acceleration illusions (not knowing if you are pitching up or accelerating)
- Auto-kinetic illusions (where a stationary light appears to move as your eyeballs start to jiggle)
- Graveyard spin
Unperceived changes in the 3 axis of concentration
81
Motion Sickness
Disagreement between the bodies 3 systems of equilibrium
| Recovery: Look at the horizon, loosen clothing, open air vents, use supplemental oxygen, avoid head movements
82
Landing Illusions
Wide: Closer
Narrow: Further away
Slope up: Approach angle too high
Slope down: Approach angle too low
83
Motion Parallax Illusions
Objects from a distance appear to move slowly
| Objects viewed closer appear to move much faster
84
Body Rhythms: Circadian rhythm
Natural sleep/wake cycle of the body
85
Body Rhythms: Desynchronisation
Jet lag
Travelling east is harder (body clock must speed up)
Adjust by approx 1.5 hours per day
86
Body Rhythms: Human Efficiency
At its worst: early am and early afternoon (post-prandial dip)
87
Body Rhythms: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) & Sleep Pattern
Older: need less sleep, but less flexible when you sleep
88
A Threat
Anything that has the potential to negatively impact the safety of the flight
89
Types of Threats
```
Expected
Unexpected
Latent
Internal
External
```
90
Internal Threats
Flight crew only
| Eg. Pilot proficiency, cultural differences, illness, fatigue, accents, conflicting personalities, etc
91
External Threats
Anything but the flight crew
Environmental
Organisational
92
Environmantal Threats
Anything around the aircraft
| Eg. weather, CTA, CTAF, terrain, high traffic density, unfamiliar aerodrome, etc
93
Organisational Threats
From the organisation/company
Eg. Maintenance issues, differing procedures, student pilot guide different to what is taught, flight and duty problems, etc
94
An Error
Pilot action or inaction
95
Types Of Errors
Handling
Procedural
Communication
96
Handling Errors
Actual flying of the aircraft
Eg. Using too much power on final, not looking out, raising nose of the aircraft too high on round out, not sufficient hold off, etc
97
Procedural Errors
Failure to follow procedure
Eg. Failing to use checklists, weight and balance done incorrectly, doing left circuits when ERSA said right circuits, failure to stop at holding point, etc
98
Communication Errors
Misinterpreting communication
| Eg. Non-standard format broadcast, not listening to whole ATIS, fast speech, bad radios, etc
99
Undesired Aircraft States
Anything the aircraft shouldn't be doing or where it shouldn't be
100
Types of Undesired Aircraft States
Aircraft Handling
Ground Navigation State
Incorrect Aircraft Configurations
101
Aircraft Handling
Anything to do with flight condition
Eg. Stall, spin, spiral dive, too high, low, slow or fast on final, exceeding VNE, violation of CTA or PRDs, not enough crosswind correction, etc
102
Ground Navigation State
Anywhere aircraft shouldn't be whilst on the ground
| Eg. Using wrong taxiway/holding point, taxiing too fast, run off the runway, etc
103
Incorrect Aircraft Configurations
Anything you can set
| Eg. QNH setting, trim, flaps, DG misaligned, X-Pond, radio frequencies, auto pilot mode, power setting
104
Outcome
Either positive or negative
105
Types of Countermeasures
Planning
Execution
Review
Systemic
106
Planning Countermeasure
Anything that can be done prior to flight
| Eg. Thorough pre-flight, checking weather and NOTAMs, plan B's, etc
107
Execution Countermeasure
Making sure that all systems are running correctly
| Eg. Cross-checking instruments, prioritising and managing tasks, checking ERSA, etc
108
Review Countermeasure
Tasks that require evaluation of the situation
Eg. Choosing to abort takeoff after seeing oil pressure not in the green, following general direction when lost, diversions, etc
109
Systemic Countermeasure
Anything built into the aircraft
| Eg. Ammeter low volt light, stall warning, gear warning, circuit breakers, TCAS, etc
