Pilot Medical Handbook

(FAA) Federal Aviation Administration

Description

Being a safe pilot requires more than completing flight training and staying current. Full competency comes from the ability of a pilot to develop a keen awareness of the physiological aspects of flying, as well as those that influence workload and fatigue, decision making, and situational awareness. The Pilot Medical Handbook was compiled as a guide for study in these areas. With the Medical Handbook for Pilots Advisory Circular (AC 67-2) long discontinued, this new handbook is the only resource available with a collection of applicable FAA and Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) documents, articles and reports.

Topics include:

• Assessing and determining personal minimums
• Stress management
• Information for pilots considering LASIK surgery
• Visual illusions and spatial disorientation
• Flying safely with passengers
• and much more!

Pilots must thoroughly consider the human element and inherent physiological aspects of flight—as well as the machine and weather—if safety is to be maintained. Pilots can use the plentiful information in this handbook to help them make consistent, informed go/no-go and inflight decisions.

Informations

• Publié par: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.
• Date de parution: 21 décembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781644251102
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 17 Mo

Extrait

Pilot Medical Handbook HumàN FàCTOrs fOr SuCCEssfuL FLIghT

avIàTION SuppLIEs & aCàDEmICs, iNC. nEwCàsTLE, WàshINgTON

Pîot Medîca Handbook: Human Factors or Successu Fîght Contaîns artîces orîgînay pubîshed by the edera Avîatîon Admînîstratîon and the Cîvî Avîatîon Medîca ïnstîtute.

Avîatîon Suppîes & Academîcs, ïnc. 7005 132nd Place SE Newcastle, Washington 98059 [e-mail]| 425-235-1500 | asa2fly.com

Copyright© 2009Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assume no responsibility for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. None of the material in this book supersedes any operational documents or procedures issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft and avionics manufacturers, flight schools, or the operators of aircraft.

ASA-MED-HNDBK-PD ISBN978-1-64425-110-2 Additional formats available: Softcover ISBN978-1-64425-717-0 Kindle ISBN978-1-64425-109-6 eBook EPUB ISBN978-1-64425-108-9

ivPîot Medîca Handbook

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Content

s

ïntroductîon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vîî

Aeronautîca Decîsîon Makîng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Estabîshîng Persona Mînîmums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Medîcatîons and yîng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Acoho and yîng: A Deady Combînatîon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

atîgue în Avîatîon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Fitness for Flight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29. .

Trapped Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Hearing and Noise in Aviation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Altitude-Induced Decompression Sickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Hypoxîa: The Hîgher You y…The Less Aîr în the Sky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Sunglasses for Pilots: Beyond the Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Pîot Vîsîon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Information for Pilots Considering Laser Eye Surgery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Smoke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Carbon Monoxîde: A Deady Menace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Spatîa Dîsorîentatîon: Vîsua ïusîons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Spacial Disorientation: Why You Shouldn’t Fly By the Seat of Your Pants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Seatbets and Shouder Harnesses: Smart Protectîon în Sma Aîrpanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81

Flying with Passengers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Medical Certiïcation: Questions & Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Gossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Bîbîography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

v

viPîot Medîca Handbook

ïntroductîon

Human factors, as it relates to ying an aircraft, is the interaction between the pilot, the ying environ- ment, and the aircraft. The area deïned by human factors is complex and is where most errors occur. To safely operate an aircraft, you need to develop an awareness of not only the physiological aspect of ying, but also what inuences workload and fatigue, decision making, and situational awareness. It is vital that you understand and appreciate how these factors aect your everyday ying.

Your preight preparations should include evaluating the airworthiness of the:  •Pilot: experience, sleep, food and water, drugs and medications, stress, illness.  •Aircraft: fuel, weight (does not exceed maximum), density altitude, takeo and landing requirements, equipment.  • Environment: weather conditions and forecast for departure and destination airïelds and route of ight, runway lengths.  •External pressures: schedules, available alternatives, purpose of ight.

These factors are often remembered mnemonically as PAVE, and it is important for you to consider each of them and establish your own personal minimums for ying.

This book will help you determine whether the PAVE factors are favorable for ight. Being a safe pilot means more than remaining current and having a ight review. In order to make a responsible go/no-go decision, you need to do more than check the weather, ïle a ight plan and perform a preight inspec- tion. You also must fully assess your physical and mental state and other situational factors when deciding to take a ight. But good decision making doesn’t stop there. Once you are airborne, there are a number of situations that could quickly become emergencies if you do not take corrective action.

The FAA has published articles on various physiological topics that are relevant for pilots. You have prob- ably read about several of them in your ight training: hypoxia, visual illusions, and spatial disorientation. By compiling them together in this handbook, it is our hope that you will increase your knowledge and awareness of all factors you should consider prior to, and during ight.

As pilot-in-command, you are ultimately responsible for the decision to y an aircraft. Use all the informa- tion available to you and make the best-informed go/no-go decision.

vii

viiiPîot Medîca Handbook

Aeronautîca decîsîon makîng (ADM) îs a system-atîc approach to the menta process used by aîrpane pîots to consîstenty determîne the best course o actîon în response to a gîven set o cîrcumstances. The împortance o earnîng eFectîve ADM skîs can- not be overemphasîzed. Whîe progress îs contînu- ay beîng made în the advancement o pîot traîn- îng methods, aîrpane equîpment and systems, and servîces or pîots, accîdents stî occur. Despîte a the changes în technoogy to împrove lîght saety, one actor remaîns the same — the human actor. ït îs estîmated that approxîmatey 75 percent o a avîatîon accîdents are human actors reated.

Hîstorîcay, the term “pîot error” has been used to descrîbe the causes o these accîdents. Pîot error means that an actîon or decîsîon made by the pîot was the cause, or a contrîbutîng actor that ed to the accîdent. Thîs deInîtîon aso încudes the pî- ot’s aîure to make a decîsîon or take actîon. rom a broader perspectîve, the phrase “human actors reated” more apty descrîbes these accîdents sînce ît îs usuay not a sînge decîsîon that eads to an ac- cîdent, but a chaîn o events trîggered by a number o actors.

The poor judgment chaîn, sometîmes reerred to as the “error chaîn,” îs a term used to descrîbe thîs concept o contrîbutîng actors în a human actors- reated accîdent. Breakîng one înk în the chaîn nor- may îs a that îs necessary to change the outcome o the sequence o events. The oowîng îs an ex- ampe îustratîng the poor judgment chaîn.

HumaN FacTOrS—The study o how peo- pe înteract wîth theîr envîronments. ïn the case o genera avîatîon, ît îs the study o how pîot perormance îs înluenced by such îssues as the desîgn o cockpîts, the unctîon o the organs o the body, the e-

ects o emotîons, and the înteractîon and communîcatîon wîth the other partîcî- pants o the avîatîon communîty, such as other crewmembers and aîr traic contro personne.

A prîvate pîot wîth around 350 hours was erryîng an aîrpane cross-country to a new owner. Due to tîme constraînts, the pîot skîpped dînner the nîght beore and had no breakast on the mornîng o the lîght. The pîot panned to have unch around noon at a ue stop.

A descent was begun rom 9,500 eet, about 20 mîes rom the chosen ue stop, due to haze and unamî- îarîty wîth the area. When the aîrpane arrîved at pat- tern atîtude, the pîot coud not Ind the aîrport. The pîot then cîrced north o the town, then back over the town, then lew to the west, then turned back to the east.

The pîot decîded to check or aîrport înormatîon în the Aîrport/Facîîty Dîrectory, whîch was on the rear seat and not readîy avaîabe.

Power had not been încreased sînce the descent to pattern atîtude, and the pîot had been hodîng back pressure on the yoke. Whîe attemptîng to retrîeve the Aîrport/Facîîty Dîrectory, a oud “bang” was heard. Lookîng up, the pîot dîscovered the aîrpane was ony about 200 eet above ground eve. ïncreasîng power, the pîot cîmbed and ocated the aîrport. Ater and- îng, ît was dîscovered a Ibergass antenna had been hît, whîch damaged the eadîng edge o the et wîng.

By dîscussîng the events that ed to thîs accîdent, ît can be understood how a serîes o judgmenta er- rors contrîbuted to the Ina outcome o thîs lîght. or exampe, one o the Irst eements that aFected

|Sectîon 1 Aeronautîca Decîsîon Makîng

1