Human Factors & Pilot Performance

Question 1

Your ‘time of useful consciousness’ at 22,000 feet is approximately?

Answer 1

5-10 minutes.

Question 2

Which of the following lists of signs and symptoms would suggest to you that carbon monoxide poisoning was a possibility?

Answer 2

Headache, dizziness and feeling slightly sick.

Question 3

What is described by the visual illusion seen at night, known as autokinesis?

Answer 3

When a stationary light appears to move when you stare at it.

Question 4

If unaffected by external stimuli, body rhythms such as the temperature and the sleep/wake cycle will have a natural length of?

Answer 4

25 hours.

Question 5

When you are trying to look at an object at night, the best technique is to?

Answer 5

Look slightly to the side of the object.

Question 6

You are on a collision course with another aircraft that is dead ahead of you at a range of 2.5 nautical miles. How long is there before impact if the other aircraft is travelling at 360 kts, and you are travelling at 90 kts?

Answer 6

20 seconds.

Question 7

What does the middle ear contain?

Answer 7

Air, and the three ossicles that transmit sound

Question 8

What is the atmosphere composed of?

Answer 8

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases

Question 9

When approaching a runway with a marked downward slope, the visual illusion caused by this situation might cause you to:

Answer 9

make a higher and steeper approach than is required

Question 10

In terms of the human body and brain, what is a reflex?

Answer 10

A response that is made with little or no involvement of the brain

Question 11

The use of the memory aid or mnemonic ‘FREDA’ to help you remember what to include in your routine cockpit checks is an example of what memory related phenomena?

Answer 11

Chunking

Question 12

Which of the following conditions is the most common form of sudden pilot incapacitation?

Answer 12

Gastroenteritis

Question 13

How long does it take for the eye to become fully adapted to conditions of darkness?

Answer 13

30 minutes

Question 14

Where in the ear is sound converted into nervous impulses for transmission to the brain?

Answer 14

Cochlea

Question 15

What is the name of the sensory illusion which gives a false sense of pitching forwards when you rapidly decelerate?

Answer 15

The somatogravic illusion

Question 16

Which of the following identified parts of the arousal & performance curve depict a state of arousal that is having an adverse effect on performance?

Answer 16

Both A and C

Question 17

At what time on your ‘body clock’ is your performance usually at its lowest level?

Answer 17

Between 0400 and 0600

Question 18

Digital displays of numeric values are less good at:

Answer 18

indicating rates of change

Question 19

A visual illusion caused by haze can mean that you are ______ the runway than you appear to be. What are the missing words?

Answer 19

nearer to

Question 20

Sounds are stored in a sensory memory, and are available for recall (approximately) up to:

Answer 20

5 seconds later

Question 21

What is presbycusis?

Answer 21

Deterioration in hearing acuity with increasing age

Question 22

What name is given to the condition where the lens of the eye is not perfectly round?

Answer 22

Astigmatism

Question 23

Which of the following would not be considered to be an environmental or physical stressor?

Answer 23

Anxiety

Question 24

A problem is worked on by a group of people. Which of the following statements is correct?

Answer 24

The group result is not likely to be much better than that of the most able contributor

Question 25

Which of the following body mass index (BMI) ranges would be considered to be in the normal weight range?

Answer 25

21-25

Question 26

What is the eye’s ability to focus on near and then far objects known as?

Answer 26

Accommodation

Question 27

How could you treat someone suffering from hyperventilation?

Answer 27

Encourage them to talk to slow down their breathing rate, or give them a task to distract them

Question 28

A problem is worked on by a group of people. Which of the following statements is correct?

Answer 28

The group result is not likely to be much better than that of the most able contributor.

Question 29

Body temperature is linked to alertness and performance. Which of the following body temperatures correlate to good performance capability?

Answer 29

The peak of the normal body temperature cycle

Question 30

The retina contains two types of light sensitive cells. Which type is responsible for sensing colour and sharpness of an image (visual acuity)?

Answer 30

The cones

Question 31

In general terms, what period of wakeful activity does one hour of sleep provide?

Answer 31

2 hours

Question 32

Approximately how long can the human brain survive without severe damage after being totally deprived of oxygen?

Answer 32

4 minutes.

Question 33

What name is given to the condition where the eye has trouble focusing on near objects?

Answer 33

Hyperopia (also called hypermetropia)

Question 34

What would your body mass index be considered to be, if you were 5 ft 7 inches tall, and weighed 180 lbs?

Answer 34

Overweight

Question 35

Flickering lights can bring on an epileptic type of fit in people who are susceptible. Which of the following flicker frequencies would be most likely to cause this?

Answer 35

8 Hz

Question 36

Under normal conditions, the need to breathe:

Answer 36

is primarily controlled by the build up of carbon dioxide in the blood

Question 37

Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous?

Answer 37

It is colourless, odourless and tasteless

Question 38

Approximately what percentage of the atmospheric air is carbon dioxide?

Answer 38

0.03%

Question 39

Where in the ear is sound converted into nervous impulses for transmission to the brain?

Answer 39

Cochlea

Question 40

How long can an item of information be retained in your short term memory for?

Answer 40

About 15 seconds

Question 41

How many inches in a foot?

Answer 41

12

Question 41

How to calculate BMI?

Answer 41

Multiply weight in pounds by 0.45, metric conversion.
Multiply height by 0.025, remember to 12 inches in a foot.
Square the awnser from height.
Divide the weight over the squared height.

Question 42

What name is given to the condition where the eye has trouble focusing on distant objects?

Answer 42

Myopia

Question 43

What term is given to the situation when a person gives in to the wishes of a group?

Answer 43

Conformity

Question 44

How is night vision affected by increasing altitude?

Answer 44

Night vision is adversely affected by low oxygen levels at altitude.

Question 45

What memory process is being supported by ‘chunking’ and ‘rehearsal’?

Answer 45

Longer retention in the short term memory.

Question 46

After making a full 360 degree medium rate turn, you level the wings. The reduced g-force loading may lead you to momentarily think that you are now:

Answer 46

commencing a descent.

Question 47

As your aircraft climbs, your susceptibility to carbon monoxide poisoning will:

Answer 47

increase

Question 48

How long should you wait before flying after SCUBA diving to a depth of less than 30 ft?

Answer 48

12 hours

Question 49

Risk shift?

Answer 49

The tendency of a group to make more risky decisions than a single person would.

Question 50

What are the risks you might encounter when flying with an upper respiratory tract infection (such as a common cold/flu)?

Answer 50

If you take medication, it may interfere with your ability to safely fly the aircraft.

Question 51

The semi-circular canals (organs of balance) can respond to:

Answer 51

both acceleration and deceleration

Question 52

What is the sound level, that above would be considered a level that would damage human hearing.

Answer 52

80 db