Human Factors, Pilot Responsibilities, and Fitness to Fly
Human factors asks whether you should be in the aircraft at all. It covers self-assessment, alcohol and drugs, hypoxia and carbon monoxide, disorientation, fatigue, and the pilot-in-command's duty to passengers and to the public. The exam rewards specific symptoms and specific rules, not general caution.
Self-assessment
- Use IMSAFE: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion or Eating.
- Alcohol: no flying within 8 hours of drinking, and never while impaired (CAR 602.03). The 8-hour rule is a minimum, not proof of sobriety.
- Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can ground you; check with an aviation medical examiner.
Physiological threats
- Hypoxia: headache, euphoria, poor judgement, cyanosis. Time of useful consciousness falls rapidly above 10,000 ft; use supplemental oxygen as required.
- Hyperventilation mimics hypoxia; treat a doubtful case as hypoxia first.
- Carbon monoxide from the cabin heater causes headache, drowsiness and confusion. Shut off the heat and open fresh-air vents.
- Spatial disorientation: trust the instruments, especially at night over water or featureless terrain.
- Fatigue and stress degrade judgement well before they degrade handling skill.
Responsibility
- The PIC is responsible for passenger safety, including a briefing on belts, doors and exits, and for refusing to fly when unfit.
- Use a structured decision tool such as DECIDE: Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, Evaluate.
Worked example
You have a head cold and are scheduled for a flight that climbs to 8,500 ft. Your ears are blocked. Even though you feel well enough, a congested Eustachian tube can cause severe pain and possible eardrum damage on descent, and congestion also affects balance and judgement. The correct answer is to cancel and rebook; illness is the I in IMSAFE.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the 8-hour rule as proof you are sober.
- Assuming a valid medical certificate means you are fit today.
- Dismissing mild carbon monoxide symptoms as just a headache.