Human Factors, Aeronautical Decision Making, and Emergency Procedures
Human factors and emergency questions reward a systematic approach. The exam asks you to recognize hypoxia and dehydration at altitude, apply a decision model, and know the first actions for a rope break, a spin, or a landing out.
Fitness and decision making
- IMSAFE (illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, emotion) and PAVE (pilot, aircraft, environment, external pressures) frame the preflight self-assessment.
- The five hazardous attitudes -- anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, resignation -- each have an antidote; the exam often presents a scenario and asks which one applies.
- Use a structured model (DECIDE: detect, estimate, choose, identify, do, evaluate) and set personal minimums before launch.
Altitude and environment
- 91.211: supplemental oxygen for crew between 12,500 and 14,000 ft MSL after 30 minutes, and continuously above 14,000; above 15,000 the pilot must provide oxygen to passengers.
- Early hypoxia signs include euphoria, tingling, and poor judgment -- the pilot is usually the last to notice. Descend and use oxygen.
- Dehydration, heat, and fatigue accelerate impairment; a long soaring flight in a hot cockpit degrades performance more than pilots expect.
Emergencies
- Rope break low: lower the nose, release the rope, land ahead.
- Spin: PARE -- ailerons neutral, rudder opposite the rotation, elevator forward to break the stall, then recover.
- Canopy loss, jammed spoilers, and a failed tow release all end in a controlled approach to a known field; brief the landout before launch.
Worked example
Climbing in wave at 13,800 ft MSL for 40 minutes without oxygen, a pilot notices a headache and a warm, euphoric feeling. The correct action is to descend immediately and, if available, use oxygen -- not to keep climbing because the lift is good. The 30-minute limit above 12,500 ft MSL has already been exceeded, and the symptoms point to hypoxia rather than fatigue.
Traps that cost marks
Trying to fix a spin with aileron; turning back after a low rope break; attributing hypoxia symptoms to "just a headache"; and letting the goal of a completed task override deteriorating conditions.