Human Performance and Limitations
Sensory and cognitive limits
Understand vestibular illusions - somatogravic (false climb/descent under linear acceleration), somatogyral (leans from prolonged rotation), and the Coriolis illusion during head movement in a turn. Helicopter crews are especially exposed to vibration and low-frequency noise, which raise fatigue and degrade fine motor control.
Hypoxia and hyperventilation
Know the signs of hypoxia (euphoria, tingling, poor judgement) and that symptoms are insidious. Hyperventilation produces similar tingling but improves with controlled breathing and reassurance. Trap: questions that offer 'increase oxygen flow' as the answer for hyperventilation - wrong, the treatment is to slow the breathing rate.
Spatial disorientation and workload
Learn the difference between visual illusions (black hole approach, size constancy) and vestibular illusions. Also understand workload, channel capacity, and the danger of fixation and expectation bias. Crew resource management concepts - assertiveness, situational awareness, briefing - are examined as behaviours, not slogans.
Worked example
On a dark night approach over water with no visual horizon, the crew perceives a high approach and descends. Rule of thumb: the black-hole illusion makes a normal approach look too high; trust the instruments and the approach lights, not the picture.