Part One - The Human Condition Flashcards
Over what percentage of aircraft accidents are caused by pilot error?
80%
BMI Formula
BMI = Weight in Kilos / Height in meters squared
Above what BMI is considered overweight?
25
Above what BMI is considered obese?
30
How much blood does your heart pump per day?
7600L
What is the single most common cause of pilot incapacitation during flight?
Gastro-intestinal upsets caused by contamination of food or drink.
What range is the human body most comfortable operating in?
21 - 27 degrees at 50% relative humidity
Above what temperature is the first type of heat stress likely to occur?
32 degrees
What is the most noticeable effect of the first type of heat stress?
Tiredness
What causes heat exhaustion?
Circulatory system cannot compensate for blood vessels that have dilated to increase flow of heat out of your body via the skin.
What is the best antidote for the first type of heat stress?
Drinking water
What causes the second type of heat stress?
Too much sun prior to a flight without adequate protection or lack of sufficient liquid intake.
What is the effect of the second type of heat stress?
Concentration may be lowered leading to a decline in decision making.
What causes the third type of heat stress?
Temperatures below about 10 degrees.
What does the third type of heat stress cause?
It is possible for your body to lose more heat than it can produce which can cause shivering, drowsiness and poor concentration - all having adverse effects on performance.
What is hypothermia?
Body can no longer maintain its core temperature.
What are the symptoms hypothermia?
Impairment of thinking, apathy and eventually unconsciousness and death.
Cause of hypothermia?
Long immersion in cold water or unprotected exposure to very cold environmental temperatures.
What does dehydration eventually lead to?
A malfunction of almost every bodily process including emotional disturbances and irrational decision making.
Dehydration remedy?
Drink more water.
Early symptoms of dehydration?
Drying of the nasal passages and a prickly sensation in the eyes.
How long after a blood donation does CASA recommend you stay on the ground for?
24 hours
What can a blood donation cause in individuals?
Tiredness and a lowering of blood pressure.
What does smoking cause in individuals and why?
Moderate to heavy smoker is effectively several thousand feet higher than his/her actual level suffering the effects of Hypoxia. This is because the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity. Effects include reduced visual sensitivity and reduced mental alertness.
During a climb, what happens in regards to the ear?
Outside air pressure drops which causes the eardrum to bulge outwards. The Eustachian tube provides a passage to allow the air behind the eardrum to leak out into the nasal cavity to equalise the pressure on either side of the eardrum.
During a descent, what happens in regards to the ear?
Air pressure rises and the eardrum bulges inwards. The Eustachian tube allows air to flow from the nasal cavity back to the inside of the eardrum to equalise the pressure.
If the Eustachian tube is blocked, what will happen during climb or descent?
Air can no longer flow freely along this passage which causes unequal pressures cause the eardrum to stretch causing sever pain and even rupture of the eardrum.
Does air flow in or out of the Eustachian tube more easily?
Air flows out of the Eustachian tube much more easily than it flows back in.
Is it easier to equalise pressure on a climb or a descent?
Climb
What is the pain and discomfort associated with pressure differences called?
Barotrauma
What is pressure vertigo?
Dizziness caused by pressure affecting the ear’s balance mechanism.
If you supper any injury or any other condition that may impair your ability to fly, what does CASR 67.265 say you must do?
Advice CASA or a DAMA as soon as possible and not fly until advised by a DAME that you fully meet the prescribed standards.
What are the main deterioration’s associated with aging?
Hearing (especially higher frequencies in men) and presbyopia, or long sightedness which is a natural age related change caused by the weakening of the muscles controlling the eye’s lens.
When is it generally recommended for a pregnant woman to stop flying?
After the sixth month.
What can obesity be a contributing factor towards?
Hypertension, gout, diabetes and heart disease.
What can too much salt lead to?
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
What kind of foods release gases during digestion which can subsequently cause pain or discomfort when they expand in the lower ambient pressure at high altitude?
Green vegetables.
What does too little iron in the diet lead to?
Blood disorders such as Anaemia.
