A2 CofC Human Factors & Situational Awareness 1

Question 1

What does 'situational awareness' mean in the context of drone operations?

Accepted Answer

Understanding what is happening around the drone, its current status, and what may happen next

Answer

Situational awareness encompasses perceiving environmental elements, understanding their meaning, and anticipating future states in order to make safe decisions.

Question 2

Which cognitive bias describes a pilot's tendency to continue a risky flight because they have already invested significant time and effort in planning it?

Accepted Answer

Sunk cost fallacy

Answer

The sunk cost fallacy causes pilots to continue with a mission because of prior investment, even when conditions suggest the flight should be aborted.

Question 3

'Get-there-itis' (or press-on-itis) refers to which dangerous pilot tendency?

Accepted Answer

The urge to complete a flight despite warning signs suggesting it should be abandoned

Answer

'Get-there-itis' describes the compulsion to complete a mission that overrides sound judgement about safety.

Question 4

How does fatigue primarily affect a drone pilot's performance?

Accepted Answer

It increases reaction time and impairs decision-making capability

Answer

Fatigue slows reaction times and degrades cognitive function, making sound decision-making and hazard recognition significantly less reliable.

Question 5

What is 'task saturation' in the context of drone operations?

Accepted Answer

When a pilot is overwhelmed with too many concurrent tasks, causing performance to degrade

Answer

Task saturation occurs when cognitive load exceeds a pilot's capacity, leading to errors, omissions, and reduced situational awareness.

A2 CofC Drone Practice Test

A2 CofC Drone Practice Test

A2 CofC Human Factors & Situational Awareness 1