Human Performance Flashcards
Which three things make up pilot competence ?
Knowledge
Skills
Attitude
What are ICAO’s 8 core competencies ?
Application of procedures
Communication
Flight path management with automation
Manual flight path management
Leadership and teamwork
Problem solving and decision making
Situational awareness
Workload management
Where does sensory habituation and adaption take place ?
Central Nervous System (CNS)
What is the sensory threshold ?
The level above which the intensity of a stimulus is sufficient to generate a response in the organism.
Sensory …….. lasts longer than sensory …… Because it is not dependant on short term physiological changes.
Habitation, Adaptation
Which sensory condition causes progressively smaller signals in the brain ?
Sensory habituation
High blood pressure is know as ?
Hypertension, it leads to weakening the heart muscle and thickening and narrowing of blood vessels.
Low blood pressure is known as ?
Hypotension, it can cause dizziness and shortness of breath and fainting.
Which blood pressure conditions can lead to a pilot losing his medical license to fly ?
Hypotension and Hypertension
Possible causes of anaemia ?
Iron deficiency
Serious blood loss
Abnormal haemoglobin causing distorted blood cells.
Main circulatory components
Heart
Veins
Arteries
Pulse rate and cardiac output for a normal adult per minute ?
70 bpm
5.2 litres
Define cardiac output
Heart rate x Stroke volume
Difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure ?
Systolic is pressure measured when the hearts contracts.
Diastolic is measured when the heart muscle is relaxed, BP is lowest at diastole.
Blood pressure for a young healthy normal adult ?
120 systolic pressure mmHg
80 diastolic pressure mmHg
Main blood constituents
Plasma, Red blood cell, White blood cell, platelets
Plasma role
To provide the transporting fluid medium
Red blood cell role
To carry oxygen around the body
White blood cell role
To fight of infections
Platelets role
to repair damage
Haemoglobin role
To greatly increase the oxygen carrying capability of the red blood cells.
What is anaemia and its causes ?
Lack of red blood cells.
Excessive blood loss
Iron deficiency
Causes of Hypertension ?
Obesity
Lack of exercise
Age
Alcohol
Smoking
Stress
High salt intake
Certain medical conditions
Hypertension is a major risk factor for ..?
Strokes
What is angina ?
Angina is progressive narrowing of the coronary arteries.
Can cause shortness of breath and chest pain when exercising.
How is a heart attack caused ?
A complete blockage of a coronary artery. it causes intense chest pain, crushing sensation on the chest, high pulse pale pallor and sweating and can lead to cardiac arrest.
Major risk factors for coronary heart disease ?
High cholesterol
Smoking
Obesity
Lack of exercise
Hypertension
Why does exercise reduce chances of coronary heart disease ?
It strengthens the heart muscle, improves circulation, reduces blood pressure and increases number of red blood cells.
What can increase pulse rate ?
Age
Lack of fitness
illness
pain
emotional arousal
Respiration is ?
The exchange of gases between the body and the environment.
Main respiratory components ?
the trachea, the lungs and the pulmonary artery. The heart and blood are also essential for transporting oxygen K around the body and carrying CO back to the lungs.
Tidal volume for normal lungs ?
500ml = 500cm3
Hypoxia is ?
Insufficient oxygen to support brain and tissue, enough to imbalance the body’s homeostasis and impair its normal functioning.
Hypoxic hypoxia is caused by ?
Low saturation levels in the blood, caused by low atmospheric oxygen levels, associated with high altitude.
Anaemic hypoxia is caused by ?
Caused by a reduced ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Due to carbon monoxide poisoning or low haemoglobin levels.
Normal adult breathing rate
12-20 bpm, averaging 16 bpm
Higher CO2 within the body means ?
Higher blood acidity= Lower PH= need for more oxygen.
=Increased rate of respiration = O2 increase + CO2 decrease.
The lungs purpose ?
To absorb oxygen from inspired air and expel CO2 in expired air/
Effect of atmosphere composition with altitude ?
Percentages are constant with any given altitude.
Particles just become more sparse with density and pressure.
Hypoxia severity factors ?
Altitude
Temperature
Time of exposure
Physical activity
Hypoxia symptoms
Tingling in hands and feet.
Cyanosis
Increased breathing rate
Headache, nausea, dizziness, sweating
Mood change (Euphoria)
Hypoxia threshold for:
Reaction
Disturbance
Critical
7000ft, night vision effected (5000ft)
10-12000ft, body compensates
22000ft, Incapacitation
Prevention of hypoxia ?
Execute checklist for pressurisation system settings.
Ensure a suitable supply of oxygen.
What is hyperventilation ?
Lung ventilation in excess of the body’s needs
Symptoms of hyperventilation ?
Paleness
Muscle spasm
Anxiety
Dizziness
Nausea
Numbness
What controls how much lights enters the eye ?
Iris
(Expands for darkness)
Cones are best for ?
Central vision.
Colour Vision
(Located densely in the peripheral retina)
Rods are best for ? (+location)
Peripheral vision
Night vision
Black and white
(Retina, Located 10º from the fovea)
Dark to light adaptation time ?
10 Seconds
Light to dark adaption time ?
Cones 7-9 minutes
Rods 30 minutes
What level is night vision affected at ?
5000ft - Hypoxia threshold
What do sunglasses prevent ?
Damage to retina from high power UV rays and blue light.
Presbyopia is ?
Long-sightedness caused by age
Cataracts is ?
Clouding of the lens due to age or UV exposure
Glaucoma is ?
pressure build up of liquid in the eye.
Only detected by eye pressure test
Flash blindness counter ?
Turn cockpit lighting to max
wear sunglasses
use blinds or sunglasses
Corrective lens for hyperopia (long sightedness) is ?
Convex lens
Corrective lens for myopia (short sightedness) is ?
Concave lens
Hypoxia prevention ?
Execute checklists for pressurisation settings
Hypoxia is ?
Deficiency in oxygen supply to the brain and tissues,
enough to imbalance the body’s homeostasis and
impair its normal functioning
Role of Eustachian tube ?
To equalise pressure on both sides of the ear drum, which is initially affected by altitude.
What does flying with a cold do ?
Increase the risk of damaging the sinuses and inner ear.
NIHL is caused by ?
Over exposure to 90 Db noise
Conductive hearing loss is caused by ?
Wax blocking the eardrum
Inner ear damage
Burst ear drum
fluid behind the eardrum
3 Ear chambers and contents
Outer, Middle, Inner
Air, Air, Liquid
hearing loss due to age is known as ?
presbycusis
Three parts of vestibular system ?
Cochlea (Hearing)
otoliths (Balance)
The semicircular canals (Balance)
Linear acceleration is felt by the ?
otoliths
Rotational acceleration Is felt by ?
The semicircular canals
Air sickness causes
Mismatch between vestibular and visual systems
Excessive vibration
Anaemic hypoxia is caused by ?
CO poisoning
Blood loss
Anaemia (low HB)
Hypoxic hypoxia is caused by ?
High altitude
Lack of oxygen saturation
What causes decompression sickness ?
Is nitrogen gas dissolved in blood coming out of solution in low pressure, which causes gas bubbles that block blood pressure
4 common de-compression sickness effects ?
Creeps
Bends
Chokes
Staggers
Post decompression actions ?
Oxgen mask
Emergency descend to lower alt
Land asap
No flying for 24 hours
Diving and flying restrictions ?
No flying within 12 hours of swimming using compressed air, 24 hours if depth exceeds 30ft
Sickness can occur at above 6000ft alt
Linear acceleration ?
Change in speed without direction change (thrust increase)
Angular acceleration ?
Occurs when both speed and direction change, as in a tight spin
Radial acceleration ?
Change in direction without the change in thrust
First carbon monoxide countermeasures, and proceeding ?
Stop all smoking !!
Turn off cabin heat
Ventilate the cabin
Land asap
Barotrauma is caused by ?
Rapid or extreme changes in air pressure
4 main barotrauma types ?
Octic- Most common and likely to happen during descent.
Sinus- Either climb or descend- watery eyes, fainting
Gastrointestinal- due to pressure decrease gas inside the stomach will expand dramatically.
Aerodontalgia- Gas expansion presses the dental nerve which causes pain
Barotrauma preventions ?
Don’t fly with cold or flu
Don’t fly with ear, nose or throat infection
Avoid gas generating foods
Ideal humidity conditions ?
22-27ºC
40-60% Humidity
A significant humidity decrease can cause ?
Dehydration, affection crew performance
Can be brought on by ineffective/ excessive air con use
When is incapacitation most dangerous ?
- Reaction ?
When its onset is insidious
Ensure incapacitated crew member is not interfering with the controls
Where is most ozone found ?
Stratosphere (90%)
What are the two types of cosmic radiation ?
Solar or galactic
BMI scale
-20 = Underweight
20-25= Normal
25-30= Overweight
30+= Obese
The most dangerous type of incapacitation is ?
Gastroenteritis- Insidious onset
Food contaminants in tropical countries ?
Raw veg
Ice-cream
Peeled fruit
Local mayo
Sea food
Water contaminants in tropical countries ?
Personal hygiene
Ice for drinks
Swimming pools
Rivers and dams
How to prevent hypoglycaemia (low glucose- blood sugar- levels)
Eat healthy meals at regular times ?
What is the biggest tropical killer disease ?
Malaria
Other potential tropical diseases include ?
Cholera
Hepatitis
Typhoid
Intestinal parasites
Rabies
Tetanus
STD’s
What is the yellow book ?
Documentation of all received vaccinations and when
Metabolisation rate of alcohol ?
+/- 1 unit per hour
(1 unit is 0.2 grams, so if 0.9 grams is 4.5 units, metabolisation will take 4.5 hours)
How much is considered a too high caffeine dosage ?
300mg per day
(Infusions (herbal/plant based) do not contain caffeine)
Rules on self medication ?
No use of perception or non-prescription drugs is authorised without clearance from aero medical authorities, AMeC or AME
What does black hole effect cause ?
Dangerously low approach
Best illusions countermeasure ?
Use your instruments to help with your mental model
Best approach height counter measures ?
PAPI’s (4 dots, more red means too low, more white means too high)
Somatogravic illusions are ?
False sense of pitching up when accelerating and pitching down when decelerating. (Due to head tilt)
Narrow/long runways causes ?
A feeling of being too high.
Causes you to push down and land hard and short
Wide/shirt runway causes
Feeling of being too low
Causes you to pull, meaning you land long or overrun
Bright light runway causes
Illusion of being too close (steep)
Causes you to push and land short and hard
Low intensity lighting causes
Perception of Being too far away (shallow)
Causes you to push and long long or overrun
Light rain, fog, haze, mist, dust, smoke causes
Perception of Being too close
Causing push over and landing shirt and hard
Heavy rain causes
Perception of Being too close
Causes push over and landing short and hard
Flying in haze causes
Perception of being further away
Pulling up and landing long or overrunning
The leans are ?
False sense of increasing or decreasing aircraft bank or altitude.
Coriolis ?
False sensation of tumbling
Somatogyral illusion ?
False sense or angular acceleration or false sense of no angular acceleration when it is present
Spatial disorientation counters ?
Using your instruments
Establish as many visual cues as possible
Return to VMC asap
