Aeromedical Factors and Human Performance

• Episode: 20
• Version: 0.1.5

In this episode

• Use a personal preflight to examine illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion before committing to a flight.
• Connect altitude, congestion, overbreathing, and carbon monoxide exposure to the cues and decisions they can change.
• Distinguish the four forms of hypoxia and plan a route with several suitable alternates for a changing pilot or flight condition.
• Reassess the pilot in flight and end the flight at the nearest suitable airport when a mechanical exposure could impair the pilot.
• Study spatial and visual illusions as limits on sensation and visual evidence.

Study materials and visual aids

• Private Pilot ACS Human Factors task — PA.I.H, printed p. 8. Use the knowledge, risk, and skill elements to study cause, symptom, effect, and corrective action together.
• AIM fitness for flight and personal checklist — AIM 8-1-1. The illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion prompts used before departure.
• FAA OTC medication questions for pilots — Questions 1-2 on PDF p. 1 separate the underlying condition from the proposed medication.
• FAA medication guidance and reference materials — The FAA directory for medication guidance, the OTC reference guide, and the reference table.
• 14 CFR 61.53 medical deficiency for operations requiring a medical certificate — Section 61.53(a)(1)-(2). Read the operation-specific condition and treatment language.
• 14 CFR 91.17 alcohol and drugs — Section 91.17(a)(1)-(4). Each listed crewmember prohibition is separate.
• AIM altitude, ear and sinus, and scuba guidance — AIM 8-1-2. Review the separate subparagraphs for hypoxia, ear block, sinus block, and decompression sickness after scuba diving.
• PHAK hypoxia types — Chapter 17, printed p. 17-3. Learn hypoxic, hypemic, and stagnant hypoxia by cause.
• PHAK histotoxic hypoxia — Chapter 17, printed p. 17-4. Complete the four-form vocabulary.
• AIM ear and sinus block details — AIM 8-1-2, subparagraphs 2-3. Congestion can obstruct pressure equalization during descent.
• AIM flight after scuba diving — AIM 8-1-2, subparagraph 4. The recommended interval depends on dive type and flight altitude.
• AIM hyperventilation in flight — AIM 8-1-3. Note the overlap with early hypoxia symptoms.
• AIM carbon monoxide poisoning in flight — AIM 8-1-4. The heater-related cues and immediate action are central to the scenario.
• AIM illusions in flight — AIM 8-1-5. Includes spatial illusions and illusions leading to landing errors.
• AIM vision in flight — AIM 8-1-6. Illumination and scanning affect the visual information available to the pilot.
• PHAK dehydration and heatstroke — Chapter 17, printed p. 17-14. Review the symptoms and prevention discussion.

Fact-check and source material

Correction status

Corrections and source updates are captured in a revised episode package before it is published. Submit a source correction through the repository issue form or email [email protected]. Do not send credentials, private documents, or personal flight information.