Human Factors

#1 Break-off phenomenon usually occurs during:

Periods of low visual stimulus and low mental activity for the pilot

Periods of heightened cockpit activity when the pilot loses sense of reality

Short repetitive aerobatic flight when the pilot’s inner ear apparatus gets confused

Higher than normal cockpit activity with little external reference available to assist the pilot

#2 A passenger returning from a holiday in the Bay of Islands starts complaining of itching and tingling skin, and joint pains. It is likely they are suffering from:

Oxygen paradox

Hypoxia

The bends

Sun stroke

#3 The time taken for a pilot who is maintaining a good lookout to avoid a potential collision is:

Up to 0.2 seconds

Up to 2 seconds

5 or more seconds

At least 10 seconds

#4 In general, a heavy smoker:

Has good Hypoxia tolerance because they are used to getting less Oxygen

Will probably suffer from Hypoxia at a lower altitude

Will not be considered for airline work

None of the above

#5 Generally, one should not fly (as pilot) when taking drugs. However, provided it is known from prior experience that there will be no undesirable side effects, some drugs may be safely taken by pilots. Select the one drug from the following which is not safe for use by pilots.

“Coldrex” – anti-cold pills or capsules

Paracetamol or aspirin

Nasal sprays including steroids and decongestants

Antibiotics being used for mild infection

#6 Motion sickness is caused by:

The semi-circular canals becoming blocked due to illness

Low blood sugar levels

Too much Carbon Dioxide being exhaled

A mismatch of sensory inputs

#7 Vision:

Is adversely affected by the application of strong G forces

Is not affected by stress or G forces

Is unaffected by age

Is just as good with one eye, as with both due to constant "twitching" or saccades movements

#8 Aircraft windscreens should be:

Checked prior to flight, but only cleaned prior to the first flight of the day

Cleaned on a regular basis to improve the vision for the pilot

Cleaned in a circular motion as this is the most effective means of removing marks from the windscreen

Left as they are so that there is no chance of scratching the windscreen

#9 In the simplified model of the way in which the human brain functions:

All of the sensation and sensory information which enters the brain is processed by it

When making decisions, the brain uses information stored in the long-term memory, but not the sensation and sensory memory

Information processing is a continual process of receiving, sorting, deciding upon, filing or discarding data

A person can consider and make a conscious decision on several different matters at the same time

#10 Visual illusions

Can affect two pilots in the same cockpit in the same way

Occurs because of a breakdown on scanning

Are uncommon in aviation

Are never very powerful

#11 A “Human Factors” definition could be:

A general term which broadly encompasses the medical, psychological, and ergonomic aspects associated with aviation

The combination of environmental information concerning aviation

The study of humans in space and associated behaviou

The effects of human operators in aviation

#12 A pilot has not flown IFR for a few weeks but is current and has gone off on a flight, it’s an overcast day and the pilot soon enters IMC after takeoff, shortly after the pilot starts to feel some g-force in the seat of his pants and believe the aircraft is in a dive…..the pilot pulls back on the controls but this further increases the gforce felt – they should

look outside to find the nearest horizon and return the aircraft to straight and level

focus on the instruments and check the engine temperatures and pressures

move the controls until the g-force stops and then carry on the flight

look at the instrument indications – realize that they are in a graveyard spiral and use the instruments to return back to straight and level

#13 Regarding hazardous thought processes on the flightdeck, “it won’t happen to me” is an example of:

Anti-authority

Macho

Impulsiveness

Invulnerability

#14 Many airlines offer their passengers hard sweets (boiled lollies) at about top of descent. This practice:

Is simply a tradition carried over from the “old days” of flying unpressurised aircraft

Is used to maintain blood sugar levels which reduces motion sickness

Gives the cabin attendant a chance to surreptitiously check that all seat belts are fastened properly

Is aimed at encouraging passengers to swallow during descent and help them to clear their ears as the cabin pressure gradually increases

#15 Otolith organs are responsible for which of the following illusions?

Somatogravic illusion

Black-hole phenomenon

Somatogyral illusion

The leans

#16 You are flying an old unpressurised twin from the West Coast of the South Island to Christchurch. You are forced by Terrain to climb to 8,000’AMSL where it is very cold and you turn on the aircraft’s heater. You start to feel light headed. You are most probably suffering from:

Cold induced headache

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Hyperventilation

The leans

#17 The effect you get when you look at a steady distant light at night and it starts to move around erratically is called:

Auto kinetic effect

Break-off phenomenon

The leans

Coriolis illusion

#18 You are flying as a co-pilot on a large twin engine aircraft. Whilst cruising at FL150 with a cabin altitude of 8,000 feet, your cabin crew give you a report of an elderly woman passenger who is suffering from nausea and having “difficulty breathing”. You:

Suspect that she is hyperventilating due to the excitement of the flight and advise your cabin crew to give her a paper bag to breathe into

Recommend you crew to provide oxygen to the women, as you suspect she is suffering from mild hypoxia

Feel that the elderly woman is just a little tired due to a lack of food and rest since she could not be suffering from hypoxia at this cabin altitude

Ignore the report since elderly passengers frequently complain of nausea when travelling in pressurised aircra

#19 The bends is usually caused by:

The oxygen in the blood coming out of solution and forming bubbles in the bloodstream

The nitrogen in the blood coming out of solution and forming bubbles. It is usually a problem for high altitude unpressurised flight

Low air pressure triggering nervous reactions at the joints, which results in the joints taking a bent shape

Nitrogen bubbles forming in the stomach causing severe stomach pains and cramp

#20 Trapped gases:

Will tend to expand as altitude is decreased

Will tend to contract as altitude is increased

Can cause stomach pain on ascent

Can cause ear pain on ascent

#21 Which is correct?

#22 In humans, the most powerful sense for maintaining orientation comes from:

The eyes (vision)

The balance organs

The proprioceptive organs (seat of the pants)

The inner ear (vestibular system)

#23 After donating blood:

You must wait at least 12 hours before flying

You must wait at least 24 hours before flying

You must get cleared by your AME before flying

It is fine for you to return to flying straight away if you feel well

#24 You are in a climb to 10,000 feet AMSL flying single pilot IFR and with 10 passengers on board. Passing 9,000 feet you experience a severe and sharp pain behind the “bridge” of your nose between your eyes. You remember feeling “a cold” coming on early that morning. The most likely cause for the pain is that you:

Are experiencing “the bends”

Are experiencing “oxygen paradox”

Have a blocked Eustachian tube

Are experiencing “sinus” pain

View syphilis 14-3-2

#25 Hyperventilation

Is unlikely to occur above 10,000ft

Is usually due to anxiety or stress

Is likely to result in death if not treated

Is caused by having too little carbon monoxide in the blood

#26 Good pilot judgement:

Involves returning home if the weather ahead looks as though it is deteriorating

Involves continuing on to a destination if you have flown there before since you know the way, even if the weather conditions are poor.

Involves relying on the fact that you have heard on the radio that another aircraft has arrived at your destination, so you decide to continue on with the flight despite that the weather conditions are poor.

Is not something that can be taught, some people are just born with good judgement.

#27 You are the pilot for a group of divers who are travelling away for a weekend. For the return trip you:

Decide it is safe to return without delay since you, the pilot, have not been diving during the preceding weekend

Decide that only the people who have been snorkeling need to delay before flying and the scuba divers will be all right to fly if you stay below 4000 feet

Decide to delay the flight by 12 hours for the snorkeling group and 24 hours for the scuba diving group

Decide that the best option is to delay the scuba divers for at least 24 hours. However the people who only been snorkeling need not delay

#28 During night flights when the rods of the eye provide a pilots night vision, it is important to:

Remember to look at bright lights occasionally to reset the cones so that colour perception is maintained

Not look at bright lights since this would cause your night vision to be impaired

Not look at ay lights, as they will cause damage to the sensitive rods of the eye

Avoid looking at city lights ahead of the aircraft, since this could lead to the auto kinetic effect

#29 Runway perspectives say that an approach in to a longer runway than used to will:

Perhaps result in the illusion of being too low and the pilot will have to overshoot

Make no difference to runway appearance

Perhaps result in the illusion of being too high and the pilot will make a low dangerous approach

Probably not matter much if the runway is upsloping as well

#30 Regarding judgement and decision making on the flightdeck, an example of an “invulnerability” hazardous thought process is:

“This noisy take-off will impress them”

“What will be , will be”

“That’s not my decision”

“I’ll never have any bother on this leg”

PPL Exams

Results

#1 Break-off phenomenon usually occurs during:

#2 A passenger returning from a holiday in the Bay of Islands starts complaining of itching and tingling skin, and joint pains. It is likely they are suffering from:

#3 The time taken for a pilot who is maintaining a good lookout to avoid a potential collision is:

#4 In general, a heavy smoker:

#5 Generally, one should not fly (as pilot) when taking drugs. However, provided it is known from prior experience that there will be no undesirable side effects, some drugs may be safely taken by pilots. Select the one drug from the following which is not safe for use by pilots.

#6 Motion sickness is caused by:

#7 Vision:

#8 Aircraft windscreens should be:

#9 In the simplified model of the way in which the human brain functions:

#10 Visual illusions

#11 A “Human Factors” definition could be:

#13 Regarding hazardous thought processes on the flightdeck, “it won’t happen to me” is an example of:

#14 Many airlines offer their passengers hard sweets (boiled lollies) at about top of descent. This practice:

#15 Otolith organs are responsible for which of the following illusions?

#16 You are flying an old unpressurised twin from the West Coast of the South Island to Christchurch. You are forced by Terrain to climb to 8,000’AMSL where it is very cold and you turn on the aircraft’s heater. You start to feel light headed. You are most probably suffering from:

#17 The effect you get when you look at a steady distant light at night and it starts to move around erratically is called:

#18 You are flying as a co-pilot on a large twin engine aircraft. Whilst cruising at FL150 with a cabin altitude of 8,000 feet, your cabin crew give you a report of an elderly woman passenger who is suffering from nausea and having “difficulty breathing”. You:

#19 The bends is usually caused by:

#20 Trapped gases:

#21 Which is correct?

#22 In humans, the most powerful sense for maintaining orientation comes from:

#23 After donating blood:

#25 Hyperventilation

#26 Good pilot judgement:

#27 You are the pilot for a group of divers who are travelling away for a weekend. For the return trip you:

#28 During night flights when the rods of the eye provide a pilots night vision, it is important to:

#29 Runway perspectives say that an approach in to a longer runway than used to will:

#30 Regarding judgement and decision making on the flightdeck, an example of an “invulnerability” hazardous thought process is:

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