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From NAFI HQ
Assuring Pilot Health and Safety
A number of health factors and physiological effects can be linked to safe flying. Some are minor, while others are important enough to require special attention to ensure safety of flight. In some cases, physiological factors can even lead to inflight emergencies. Section I.H of both the private pilot ACS and the commercial ACS includes the human factors that each learner should be prepared to discuss during the oral exam portion of a check ride.
The list of factors is extensive and includes hypoxia, hyperventilation, middle ear and sinus problems, spatial disorientation, motion sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, anxiety, stress, fatigue, dehydration and nutrition, hypothermia, and heatstroke. Also included are the less common dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream after scuba dives. Importantly, we CFIs should remind the learner to be able to discuss regulations regarding the use of alcohol and drugs as well as the effects of over-the-counter medications. Chapter 17 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge includes extensive discussions of all of these factors along with strategies to recognize and prevent the impairments they can case. Chapter 8 of the Aeronautical Information Manual also includes thorough discussions of these factors.
Vestibular illusions include the leans, the Coriolis illusion, the graveyards spiral, the somatogravic illusion, the inversion illusion, and the elevator illusion. Night vision illusions include autokinesis, a false horizon, the reversible perspective illusion, size-distance illusion, fixation, and flicker vertigo. It is a long-standing flying adage that a pilot can reduce susceptibility to disorienting illusions through training and awareness and learning to rely totally on flight instruments.
There are also optical illusions that impact the safety of flight. These include the runway width illusion, runway and terrain slopes illusion, and the featureless terrain illusion. Finally, atmospheric illusions can arise from rain on the windscreen, fog, and various forms of ground lighting.
Remember, the ACS requires that the applicant demonstrate an understanding of the symptoms, recognition, causes, effects, and corrective actions associated with these aeromedical and physiological phenomena. Instructors should review these human factors with applicants for new certificates, during flight reviews, and during instrument proficiency checks. Doing so will contribute greatly to promoting pilot proficiency and ensuring flight safety.
Dr. Victor Vogel,
NAFI Board Member
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