Human Factors and Aeronautical Decision-Making
What you must know
Understand the physiological and psychological hazards: hypoxia, hyperventilation, spatial disorientation, fatigue, and stress. Know the decision-making models: the 5 hazardous attitudes (anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, resignation) and their antidotes. Learn the IMSAFE checklist and the DECIDE model. Recognize how workload and automation affect situational awareness.
Traps
Questions often present a scenario where the pilot feels pressured to complete a flight. The correct answer is usually to delay or cancel, not to "be more careful." Hypoxia symptoms are insidious: euphoria and impaired judgment come before obvious physical signs. Hyperventilation can mimic hypoxia; the treatment differs. Spatial disorientation in IMC requires trusting instruments, not sensations. Watch for the "get-there-itis" trap in nearly every ADM question.
Rule of thumb
Use IMSAFE before every flight: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion. If any item is a concern, mitigate or cancel. For hazardous attitudes, match the antidote: anti-authority → follow the rules; impulsivity → not so fast; invulnerability → it could happen to me; macho → taking chances is foolish; resignation → I'm not helpless.
Worked example
A pilot is fatigued and has a client meeting. The flight is short but weather is marginal. The correct decision is to cancel or delay: fatigue plus marginal weather plus external pressure is a classic accident chain. Document the decision and notify the client.