Human Performance Pt. 2 Flashcards
From Vestibular and Visual Illusions
What are the different sensory illusions caused by vestibular illusions?
- Coriolis Illusion
- Graveyard Spiral
- Leans
- Somatogravic Illusion
- Inversion Illusion
This refers to when you’re in a constant rate turn, if you tilt your head down to get a pen, the rapid head movement puts the fluid in motion in more than one semicircular canal which creates a sensation of turning, rotating and accelerating along an entirely different plane.
Coriolis Illusion
Once the turn to the right is detected, and the turn is stopped, the fluid in the canal will continue to move and would cause an opposite sensation as though one was now turning to the left.
Graveyard Spin and Spiral
This occurs when an abrupt recovery or a rapid correction is made to a bank, sensing a roll in the opposite direction. This will cause you to correct and re-enter the original altitude. Maintaining level altitude for a minute or two will stop this.
Leans Illusion
This states that a rapid acceleration can produce the illusion that you are in a nose-high altitude even though you are still in straight and level flight. Tendency is that you will lower the nose and then possibly enter a dive.
Somatogravic Illusion
This states that an abrupt change from climb to straight and level flight can create a feeling that you are tumbling backward. The effect may cause you to lower the nose abruptly which may intensify the illusion
Inversion Illusion
State the examples of visual illusions that may be encountered in flight
- Autokinesis
- False Horizons
- Vection Illusion
- Black-Hole Approach Illusion
This is caused by staring at a fixed single point of light (ground light or a star) in a totally dark and featureless background and it may appear to move if it is allowed to become the prime focus of attention
Autokinesis
This may cause you to orient your aircraft in relation to a false horizon; these illusions are caused by flying over a banked cloud, night flying over a featureless terrain with ground lights and so on.
False Horizons
This is a common example is when you are stopped at a traffic light in your car and the car next to you edges forward. Your brain interprets this peripheral visual information as though you are moving backwards and makes you apply additional pressure to the brakes
Vection Illusion
This can happen during a final approach at night (no stars or moonlight) over water or un-lighted terrain to a lighted runway beyond which the horizon is not visible. When peripheral visual cues are not available to help you orient yourself relative to the earth, you may have the illusion of being upright and may perceive the runway to be lifted left and upsloping
Black-Hole Illusion
This may make you change (increase or decrease) the slope of your final approach
Aerial Perspective Illusions
What are the causes for aerial perspective illusions?
- Runways with different widths
- Upsloping or downsloping runways
- Upsloping or downsloping terrain
- Weather Conditions
- Surrounding Environment
A final approach over a flat terrain with this may produce the visual illusion of a high-altitude final approach. You may respond by pitching the nose down to decrease altitude, which, if performed too close to the ground, may result in an accident `
Upsloping Runway
A final approach over a flat terrain with this may produce the visual illusion of a low-altitude final approach. You may respond by pitching the aircraft nose up to increase the altitude, which may result in a low-altitude stall or a missed approach
Downsloping Runway
A final approach over this with a flat runway may produce the visual illusion of a low-altitude final approach. You may respond by pitching the nose down .
Upsloping Terrain
A final approach over this with a flat runway may produce a visual illusion of a high-altitude final approach. You may respond by pitching the nose to increase the altitude, which may result in a low-altitude stall or a missed approach
Downsloping Terrain
This landing error refers to straight road lighting can be confused with runway lighting, especially in poor weather conditions where visibility is reduced and workload is increased
Ground Lighting
When approaching a runway from the sea or a featureless terrain such as desert or land covered by snow, the absence of visible ground features can lead to the illusion that the aircraft is too high, leading to a low approach being carried out
Featureless Terrain and the Black Hole Effect
Rain on the windscreen can create an illusion of being at a higher altitude due to the horizon appearing lower than it is, which can result in flying a lower approach than desired
Water Refraction
This can create an illusion of being farther from the runway. As a result, the pilot will tend to be low on the approach
Haze
The penetration of this can create an illusion of pitching up which may cause for a steepened approach quite abruptly
Fog
This refers to the perception of the elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning and the projection of their status in the near future
Situational Awareness
Awareness of other aircraft, communications between air traffic control and other aircraft, weather and terrain
Environmental Awareness
Awareness of aircraft configuration and flight control system modes
Mode Awareness
Awareness of geographical position and aircraft attitude
Spatial Orientation
Awareness of the aircraft systems
System Awareness
Awareness of time with respect to when required procedures or events, such as time to initial approach turn, will occur
Time Horizon
When does situational awareness tend to degrade?
- Cockpit workload is extremely HIGH and/or extremely LOW (Complacency)
What is the “CLEAROFF” check?
C - Compass and Heading Indicator, Check if synchronized
l - Log, accomplished
E - Engine & Electrics, on “green” normal
A - Altitude, check
R - Radio, set frequencies, working
O - Orientation of map, properly set
F - Fuel, check for quantity
F - Field, in case of emergency landing, selected
It is a systematic approach to the mental process used by airplane pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances
Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)
This provides a structured, systematic approach to analyzing changes that occur during a flight and how these changed might affect the safe outcome of a flight
Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)
State the steps for good decision-making
- Identifying personal attitudes hazardous to safe flight
- Learning behavior modification techniques
- Learning how to recognize and cope with stress
- Developing risk assessment skills
- Using all resources
- Evaluating the effectiveness of one’s ADM skills
What are the two defining elements of ADM?
Hazard and Risk
This is a real or perceived condition, event, or circumstance that a pilot encounters. The pilot assigns a value to the potential impact of this which qualifies the pilot’s assessment
Hazard
This is an assessment of. the single or cumulative hazard facing a pilot
Risk
They contribute to poor pilot judgement but can be effectively counteracted by redirecting the hazardous attitude so that correct action can be taken
Hazardous Attitudes
What is the PAVE checklist?
- Pilot-in-Command (PIC)
- Aircraft
- enVironment
- External Pressures, influences external to the flight that can create a sense of pressure to complete a flight
This determines physical and mental readiness for flying
IMSAFE checklist
State the IMSAFE checklist
- Illness - Am i sick?
- Medication - AM i taking any medicines that might affect my judgement or make me drowsy?
- Stress - Am i under psychological pressure from the job? Do i have money, health, or family problems?
- Alcohol - Have i been drinking within 8 hours? 24 hours?
- Fatigue - Am i tired and not adequately rested?
- Emotion/Eating - Am i emotionally upset? Have i eaten yet?
What is the DECIDE model?
D - Detect the fact that a change has occurred
E - Estimate the need to counter or react the change
C - Choose a desirable outcome for the success of the file
I - Identify actions which could successfully control the change
D - Do the necessary action to adapt the change
E - Evaluate the effect of the action
What is the ACTION model?
A - Anticipate and assess the possible scenarios
C - Consider actions and outcomes
T - Time if available, immediate decision or nominate decision point
I - Implement Decision, make a control input, transmission etc
O - Observe the result and correct if necessary
N - Nominate the next milestone, decision point or potential hazard
These are traps that pilots fall into, avoidance of which is actually simple in nature
Operational Pitfalls
Poor decision-making may be based upon an emotional response to peers, rather than evaluating a situation objectively
Peer Pressure
A pilot displays this through an inability to recognize and cope with changes in a given situation
Mindset
This disposition impairs pilot judgment through a fixation on the original goal or destination, combine with a disregard for any alternative course of action
Get-there-itis
A pilot may be tempted to make it into an airport by descending below minimums during an approach
Duck-under Syndrome
This occurs when a pilot tries to maintain visual contact with the terrain at low altitude while instrument conditions exist
Scud Running
Spatial Disorientation or collision with ground/obstacles may occur when a pilot continues VFR into instrument conditions
Continuing VFR into IMC
This pitfall can be caused by allowing events or the situation to control pilot actions. A constant state of surprise at what happens next may be exhibited when the pilot is getting behind the aircraft
Getting behind the aircraft
In extreme cases, when a pilot gets behind the aircraft, a loss of positional or situational awareness may result. The pilot may not know the aircraft’s geographical location or may be unable to recognize deteriorating circumstances
Loss of positional or situational awareness
Ignoring minimum fuel reserve requirements is generally the result of overconfidence, lack of flight planning, or disregarding applicable regulations
Operating without adequate fuel reserves
The duck-under syndrome, can also occur during the en route portion of an IFR flight
Descent below the minimum en route altitude
The assumed high performance capability of a particular aircraft may cause a mistaken belief that it can , meet the demands imposed by a pilot’s overestimated flying skills
Flying outside the envelope
A pilot may rely on short and long-term memory, regular flying skills, and familiar routes instead of established procedures and published checklists
Neglect of flight planning, preflight inspections, and checklists
