PPL PPL Pilot Health and Human Factors 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the five hazardous attitudes identified by the FAA?
- Complacency, Distraction, Fatigue, Anxiety, Overconfidence
- Anti-authority, Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho, Resignation (Correct answer)
- Overconfidence, Laziness, Fear, Anger, Depression
- Rushing, Fixation, Complacency, Distraction, Denial
Correct answer: Anti-authority, Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho, Resignation
The FAA identifies five hazardous attitudes: Anti-authority ('Don't tell me'), Impulsivity ('Do it quickly'), Invulnerability ('It won't happen to me'), Macho ('I can do it'), and Resignation ('What's the use').
Question 2: How can pilots best preserve their night vision before and during night flight?
- Drink coffee to stay alert and keep cockpit lighting bright
- Avoid bright lights before flight and use red cockpit lighting to protect dark-adapted rod cells (Correct answer)
- Use high-intensity flashlights for cockpit reference
- Perform a 5-minute light adaptation period before departure
Correct answer: Avoid bright lights before flight and use red cockpit lighting to protect dark-adapted rod cells
Night vision depends on rod cells that require about 30 minutes to dark-adapt; red cockpit lighting is used because rod cells are less sensitive to red wavelengths, preserving adaptation.
Question 3: What are the visual acuity requirements for a third-class FAA medical certificate?
- 20/20 in each eye without correction
- 20/40 in each eye with or without correction (Correct answer)
- 20/30 in each eye without correction
- 20/50 in each eye with correction only
Correct answer: 20/40 in each eye with or without correction
A third-class medical certificate requires distant vision of at least 20/40 in each eye separately, with or without corrective lenses.
Question 4: What is the 'leans' as experienced by pilots?
- An aircraft handling characteristic during steep turns
- A false sensation that the aircraft is banked when instruments show level flight (Correct answer)
- Spatial disorientation caused only by rapid climbs
- A vestibular condition from inner ear infection
Correct answer: A false sensation that the aircraft is banked when instruments show level flight
The leans occur when a pilot recovers from an undetected bank and the vestibular system still senses a bank, causing the pilot to feel tilted even though the aircraft is wings level.
Question 5: How does excessive stress affect pilot performance?
- It always improves focus and sharpens decision-making
- It narrows attention, degrades decision-making, and increases the likelihood of errors (Correct answer)
- It only affects inexperienced student pilots
- It has no effect during actual flight emergencies
Correct answer: It narrows attention, degrades decision-making, and increases the likelihood of errors
While mild stress can enhance alertness, excessive stress causes attentional narrowing, impaired working memory, and degraded decision-making — the opposite of what emergencies require.
Question 6: What is Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)?
- A type of aircraft autopilot management procedure
- A systematic mental process pilots use to consistently determine the best course of action in any situation (Correct answer)
- An ATC clearance delivery format
- A weather briefing service for cross-country planning
Correct answer: A systematic mental process pilots use to consistently determine the best course of action in any situation
ADM is a structured approach to pilot decision-making that addresses identifying the problem, assessing risk, evaluating alternatives, and selecting the safest option.
PPL PPL Pilot Health and Human Factors 2
What are the five hazardous attitudes identified by the FAA?