Human Factors - 3

Human Factors - 3

Sounds

  • Cockpit of a light craft - 90db

  • Ear protection can reduce up to 30db

Temperature

  • Comfort in 20 - 30 degrees celsius

  • Humidity of 50%

Extreme heat

Effects:

  • Dehydration

  • Heat exhaustion

Prevention:

  • Water

Extreme cold

Effects:

  • Shivering

  • Drowsiness

  • Loss of muscle control

Prevention:

  • Dress appropriately

  • Be prepared for heater failures

Fatigue: Extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness

Acute (short—term) Fatigue

  • Caused by intense mental or physical activity over a short time

Examples:

  • Digging an aircraft out of snow

  • Working a long shift

  • Flying in difficult instrument conditions for many hours

  • Acute fatigue is easily cured by rest or a good night's sleep

Chronic (long—term) Fatigue

  • Results from many episodes of Acute Fatigue caused by other factors including stress, jet lag or insufficient sleep over several days

  • Ridding yourself of the cause of the stress or sleeplessness must occur before real rest can occur

  • Can take a long time to rid yourself of the effects

  • Harder to concentrate

  • Less energy to spend on problem solving

  • More likely to react to situations rather than think them through

  • Communication likely to suffer

Fatigue is bad news on the flight deck. IF TIRED, DON’T FLY

Diet:

  • Hypoglycemia

    • Weakness, irritability difficulty in concentrating, unconsciousness

  • Exercise

    • Allow better handling of tasks

    • Even small amounts are beneficial

Pilot decision making

  • Situation

  • Options

  • Choose

  • Act

The three steps to Situational Awareness:

1. Perceive the elements of the situation from sources such as instruments, communications, or external visual references.

2. Integrate the information by applying knowledge and experience

3. Project the information into the future to make and modify plans as tasks are completed or delayed and new developments arise

  • Pilots aren't fortune tellers, however a skilled pilot who is on top of things will know what will happen if they take a particular action.

A problem is a situation that is different from the normal.

In order to recognize a problem, you must have knowledge of what is normal first!

The more information you have at your disposal, the better the decisions you will make.

Knowledge includes, but is not limited to:

  • Aircraft: Understanding its limits and its systems

  • Environment: Weather, airport conditions, air traffic control services, among other things must be considered

  • Operation: The purpose of the flight is a factor that will influence a pilot's decisions

  • Pilot: Condition, competence, recency, experience, awareness of one's personal limits

Situational awareness

1. The Pilot - Are you healthy physically and mentally to tackle the task?

2. Aircraft — Is the Aircraft Capable to tackle the task?

3. Environment— How will the weather influence you? Your location?

4. Operation - What is the intended purpose of the flight? How does this purpose affect the other

3 subjects?

Two Things That Make People AWARE?

1. Knowledge

2. Alertness

Things that affect awareness:

1. Fatigue

2. Sickness

3. Stress

4. Being unprepared

IM SAFE

Illness: Do I have any symptoms?

Medication: Have I been taking prescriptions?

Stress: Am I under psychological pressure?

Alcohol: Have I been Drinking within 12 Hours? Within 24 hours?

Fatigue: Am I tired or not adequately rested.

Eating: When and what was my last meal?

Managing stress

AVIATE

NAVIGATE

COMMUNICATE

Hazardous attitudes

  • A pilot's attitude can greatly affect the quality of their decisions.

  • Attitude is a motivational predisposition to respond to people, situations, or events in a given manner.

  • Studies have identified 5 hazardous attitudes: anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation.

  • All pilots experience these attitudes to some extent at one time or another.

  • Recognition of a hazardous attitude is the first step in counteracting it.

  • Once recognized and labeled as hazardous, then state the corresponding mental antidote.

The tendency of people to continue with an original course of action that is no longer viable.

Plan-continuation bias appears to be particularly strong toward the end of the activity and has been theorized to result from the interaction of such factors as cognitive load, task demands, and social influences.

Pilot and Equipment

Modern throttle control

  • Throttle = Black

  • Propeller Controls = Blue

  • Mixture Controls = red

Gear Selectors are generally going to be wheel shaped

  • Throttles are usually on the left, black, and round in shape

  • Prop Controls are usually right of the throttle, blue, and boxy in shape

  • Mixture Controls are usually right of the prop levers, red, and star shaped

  • Not all controls will look, feel or operate exactly the same

    • The Cessna 172 throttle and mixture are push/pull

    • The DA—ZO throttle and mixture are slide forward and back

    • Note that The DA-ZO Throttle is not black and does not conform to the round shape standard

Interpersonal relations

  • Ask Questions

  • Do so until you have the information you need

  • Asking questions does not make you appear weak or unknowledgeable

  • It may feel awkward but keep asking until you have what you need

  • Be clear as to what information you need

Stating one’s position

  • Be as clear as possible

  • Continue to state your position until it has been understood

  • It can be hard to state a contrary position to a person in authority: do not waver

Tips

  • Be sure to have the person's attention

  • State your concern clearly

  • State the problem clearly

  • Offer Suggestions or a solution

  • Work to reach agreement

Listening skills

Try to

  • Be patient

  • Ask Questions

  • Pay attention to body language

  • Paraphrase to make sure you understand

  • Be supportive

Avoid

  • Interrupting

  • Diverting conversation

  • Debating

  • Tuning Out

  • Dismissing a countering opinion

Resolutions

Try to:

  • Listen well

  • Keep to the issue

  • Clarify areas of differences

  • Acknowledge feelings

  • Build Respect