Human Performance and Limitations
The human as a system component
Questions in this domain test how pilots perceive, decide and err. Know the senses used in flight - vision (rods and cones, night vision, empty-field myopia), hearing, and the vestibular system - and how illusions arise: somatogravic illusion during acceleration, the leans, and the false horizon. Understand spatial disorientation and why instrument reference, not sensation, must be trusted.
Fitness, stress and fatigue
Know the effects of hypoxia, hyperventilation (often confused with hypoxia - both cause dizziness, but hyperventilation causes tingling and carpopedal spasm), carbon monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness, and alcohol and medication rules. Understand stress as a performance curve, fatigue as cumulative, and circadian rhythm effects on alertness. Examiners love the trap of confusing hypoxia with hyperventilation and of assuming that a pilot who feels fine is fit to fly.
Human error and teamwork
Know the error chain, the SHELL model and the difference between slips, lapses, mistakes and violations. Understand situational awareness levels and how workload, complacency and press-on-itis erode them. Communication and assertiveness - especially a junior crew member challenging a captain - are frequently tested.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb for hypoxia: useful consciousness falls rapidly above 10 000 ft cabin altitude; the correct response is always oxygen first, then descend. For any suspected sensory illusion, transfer control to instruments and cross-check with another pilot before acting.
Study strategy
Link each limitation to a specific operational countermeasure; questions often ask for the countermeasure, not the symptom.