FAST Situational Awareness

Question 1

Situational awareness (SA) is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

Perceiving environmental elements, comprehending their meaning, and projecting future states

Answer

Endsley's three-level model defines SA as: Level 1 — perception of elements; Level 2 — comprehension of their meaning; Level 3 — projection of future status. It is about building and maintaining an accurate mental model.

Question 2

A pilot sees a warning light but does not know what it signifies. Which level of situational awareness is present, and which is absent?

Accepted Answer

Level 1 present; Level 2 absent

Answer

Level 1 SA (perception) is present — the pilot sees the light. Level 2 SA (comprehension) is absent — the pilot does not understand what it means. Level 3 (projection) cannot exist without Level 2.

Question 3

Which condition most severely degrades situational awareness in a high-workload environment?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive tunnelling on a single instrument

Answer

Cognitive tunnelling — fixating attention on one instrument or task — causes loss of awareness of other critical information, directly breaking SA. The other options either support SA or are neutral.

Question 4

An altimeter reads 2,000 ft, the VSI shows −500 ft/min, and ATC has cleared the aircraft to maintain 1,500 ft. How many seconds until the target altitude is reached?

Accepted Answer

60 seconds

Answer

The aircraft is 500 ft above target (2,000 − 1,500) and descending at 500 ft/min. Time = 500 ÷ 500 = 1 minute = 60 seconds.

Question 5

An air traffic controller is tracking 8 aircraft: 3 on final approach, 2 climbing through a congested zone converging toward the same altitude, and 3 in cruise. Which situation demands the most urgent attention?

Accepted Answer

The two climbing aircraft converging toward the same altitude

Answer

Converging aircraft at the same altitude represent an imminent collision risk — the highest-priority SA concern. Time-critical proximity conflicts always outweigh scheduling, heading, and fuel concerns.

(FAST) Future Aptitude Selection Tool Practice Test

(FAST) Future Aptitude Selection Tool Practice Test

FAST Situational Awareness