CPL Human Performance study plan
CPL Human Performance · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Basic Aviation Physiology and Health & Human Error and Threat Management (SHELL, TEM, CRM)
Explain how hypoxia, hyperventilation, and cabin decompression each degrade pilot performance, and state the corrective action for each
Describe the gas laws (Dalton, Henry, Boyle) and apply each to at least one in-flight physiological scenario
Define the SHELL model and label its four interfaces on a self-drawn diagram with one aviation example per interface
List the four categories of the TEM model (threat, error, undesired aircraft state, countermeasure) and classify ten short scenarios into them
Your checkpoint
One-page hypoxia/physiology cheat sheet plus a 20-item SHELL/TEM classification table scored at 80% or better
Basic Aviation Physiology and Health & Human Error and Threat Management (SHELL, TEM, CRM)
Summarise the effects of alcohol, medication, smoking, and carbon monoxide on altitude tolerance and judgement
Explain decompression sickness, barotrauma, and the risks of flying after diving
Distinguish slips, lapses, mistakes, and violations, and give two aviation examples of each
Describe the error chain and identify at least three countermeasures that break it (checklists, cross-monitoring, SOPs)
Your checkpoint
Written 400-word case analysis of a real-world accident summary from a public report, mapping the error chain and the countermeasures that were missing
Human Error and Threat Management (SHELL, TEM, CRM) & Human Information Processing and Decision Making
Apply CRM concepts (communication, leadership, teamwork, workload management) to two scripted cockpit scenarios
Explain assertiveness, the gradient of authority, and how to challenge a captain's decision constructively
Describe the human information processing model: sensation, perception, attention, memory, decision making, response
Identify at least four decision-making biases (confirmation, plan continuation, hindsight, anchoring) and explain how each drives pilot error
Your checkpoint
Recorded or written transcript of a 10-minute simulated crew briefing that demonstrates at least three CRM behaviours and names the bias being countered
Human Information Processing and Decision Making & Human Error and Threat Management (SHELL, TEM, CRM)
Compare the DECIDE, FORDEC, and 3P decision models and select the right one for three time-pressured scenarios
Explain situational awareness levels 1-3 and describe how each level can fail
Analyse how attention tunnelling and channelised attention contribute to error
Build a personal pre-flight threat-and-error management checklist
Your checkpoint
Timed 30-question mock quiz covering domains 4 and 5, reviewed with a written error log of every miss
The Nervous System, Vision and Hearing & Spatial Disorientation and Illusions
Describe the anatomy and function of the eye, including rods, cones, fovea, and the blind spot, and relate each to night vision limits
Explain dark adaptation, the off-centre scanning technique, and the dangers of bright light at night
Describe the vestibular system (semicircular canals, otolith organs) and how it produces somatogravic and somatogyral illusions
Distinguish the common visual illusions in flight (black hole approach, false horizon, runway width, autokinesis) and state the recovery for each
Explain the anatomy of the ear, noise-induced hearing loss, and the risks of barotrauma and spatial disorientation
Your checkpoint
Illusion-and-disorientation flashcard deck of at least 25 cards, self-tested to 90% recall
Spatial Disorientation and Illusions & Stress, Fatigue and Sleep
Classify spatial disorientation types (unrecognised, recognised, incapacitating) and describe the correct recovery when instruments disagree with sensation
Explain the physiology of stress: the fight-or-flight response, acute vs chronic stress, and performance effects on the Yerkes-Dodson curve
Describe the stages of sleep, sleep debt, circadian rhythm, and the effects of fatigue on reaction time and decision making
Identify fatigue countermeasures and the rules around controlled rest and duty limits
Your checkpoint
Two-page stress-and-fatigue summary comparing acute stress, chronic stress, and fatigue, each with three countermeasures
Stress, Fatigue and Sleep & Crew Resource Management and Automation & Basic Aviation Physiology and Health
Explain how automation changes workload, vigilance, and skill degradation, and describe automation complacency and automation bias
Describe mode confusion and the actions that prevent it (mode awareness, verbal callouts, monitoring)
Explain the role of the monitoring pilot and the concept of active monitoring
Review personal health factors (hydration, nutrition, exercise, caffeine) and their effect on alertness
Revisit domain 1 weak points identified in earlier quizzes
Your checkpoint
Written automation-mode-confusion scenario analysis of 300 words with a corrective SOP list of at least five items
Basic Aviation Physiology and Health & The Nervous System, Vision and Hearing & Spatial Disorientation and Illusions & Human Information Processing and Decision Making & Human Error and Threat Management (SHELL, TEM, CRM) & Stress, Fatigue and Sleep & Crew Resource Management and Automation
Consolidate all domains by re-testing every earlier error-log item
Complete two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions
Explain aloud, without notes, the top ten concepts most likely to be tested
Identify and close the three weakest sub-topics from the mock results
Your checkpoint
Two full mock exams scored at 85% or higher, with a final written gap-closing plan for any remaining weak areas
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80% or better on a 20-question mixed quiz covering domains 1 and 5, and submit the accident case analysis
Week 4: Score 80% or better on a timed 30-question mock for domains 4 and 5, with all misses logged and reviewed
Week 6: Score 90% or better on the 25-card illusion/disorientation deck and 80% or better on a mixed domains 2, 3, and 6 quiz
Week 8: Score 85% or higher on both full-length timed mock exams covering all seven domains