TOPIC 15

HUMAN PERFORMANCE & LIMITATIONS

Let’s look at some qualities of a professional pilot:

Situation awareness
Flexibility
Task management
Effective communication
A/c Handling Skills
High Sense of
Responsibility
Threat & Error
management
Quick Reflexes
Reliability
Balanced Personality

CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) most common cause of

air accident

Atmosphere- Layer of gases surrounding the Earth

N- 78% O2 – 21 % Ar- 0.93 % CO2 – 0.036 % & other

gases

ISA Values –
Pressure – 1013.25 hPa
Temp - +15 deg C Density
– 1225 g/m3
Lapse rate – 1.98 deg C/ 1000ft
Hypoxia
Lack of oxygen
Can be caused by breathing air at lower pressure at high
altitudes

Types:
a) Hypoxic Hypoxia -tissue do not have enough oxygen
b) Anemic Hypoxia – O2 carried in blood by hemoglobin,
found in RBC. When the RBC cell count decresases, less
O2 Supply t the tissues.(e.g,Bleeding)
c) Ischaemic hypoxia/stagnant hypoxia-due to
inadequate blood flow (Constriction of blood flow)
d) Histotoxic Hypoxia-tissue are unable to use the
oxygen

HYPOXIA Symptoms
1) Euphoria – Feeling of well being
2) Impaired judgment, disabling pilot to
recognize symptoms
3) Night vision impairment @5000ft
4) Slow reaction time
5) Fatigue
6) Headache
7) Tunnel Vision
8) Tingling in Hands & Feet
9) Death
 Action to be taken
1) Provide O2
2) Descend below 10,000 feet or MSA (if higher
than 10000ft)

-Pilots will normally begin breathing supplementary

oxygen from 10,000 ft above sea level.

-A pilot, climbing in a non-pressurized aircraft and

without using supplemental oxygen will pass the
“Critical threshold” at approximately 22,000 ft.

-Breathing 100% O2 brings pilot’s physiological safe

altitude to 38,000ft.

-Normal rate of respiration in adults 14-18 breaths per

minute.

-level of CO2 in the blood effectively regulates the rate and

depth of breathing.

-RBC’s are responsible for carrying oxygen and Co2

-Percentage of O2 is same at all levels

Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC)- The length of

time during which an individual can act with both mental and
physical efficiency and alertness.
Measured from the moment at which he loses his available
oxygen supply. Varies individually & depends on cabin
pressure.
ALTITUDE TUC
18000 ft 30-40 Min
22000 ft 5-10 Min
25000 ft 3-5 Min
30000 ft 45-90 Sec
35000 ft 30-45 Sec
40000 ft 18-25 Sec
43000 ft 12-18 Sec

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

CO is Colorless, odourless & tasteless gas that is a
product of incomplete combustion.

CO has greater affinity towards Hb

Symptoms
1) Lack of concentration
2) Headache
3) Dizziness
4) Nausea
5) Impaired Vision
6) Flushed cheeks & cherry red lips

Action to be taken
1) Turn off cabin heating
2) Open cabin ventilators
3) Consider using O2, if available
4) Land ASAP
5) Take medical aid and don’t fly till cleared by
doctor
  CO poisoning more likely in aero planes where the
cabin heat is technically supplied by coating the
exhaust
 At all times when cabin heating is used, Fresh air
must be circulated to reduce presence of CO.

Hyperventilation (Over breathing)

-Lung ventilation in excess of the body’s needs
-Can be caused due to emotional tension or anxiety
 In case of confusion, treat for hypoxia instead of
hyperventilation.
 Severe Headache & tingling common to both
Hypoxia & Hyperventilation.
 Action to be taken: Breathing into a paper bag

Smoking
-Symptoms of oxygen deprivation will be felt at a
lower level (7000’) than a non-smoker (10,000’)
-Smoker has increases susceptibility to CO poisoning
-Smoking reduces oxygen transport capacity of blood by
5-8%

Alcohol
-Potency of alcohol increases with height
-At 6000ft, effect of one drink is that of two

Blood Donation – Gap of at least 48 hrs after donating

blood for pilots

Blood Pressure-Blood pressure is the pressure of

circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels.
-Diastolic Pressure – The permanent pressure against the
arterial wall
-Systolic Pressure – The increased pressure with each beat
of the heart
-120/80 for an average person
-High blood pressure or hypertension which is a major
cause of unfitness in pilots

Pulmonary Artery – O2 POOR & CO2 RICH

 Cabin Pressurization
Max altitude without oxygen at which flying efficiency is
not impaired – 8000’
Cabin pressure that is maintained during pressurized flight
is 6000’- 8000’.

Decompression – Lowering of pressure

Slow decompression- caused by a slight
airtightness defect.
Fast Decompression – is recognized by Mist in the
cabin, blast towards the exterior of the a/c, expansion of
the body gases, blast of air released violently from lungs.
DO NOT fly for 12 hrs after experiencing rapid
decompression
Treatment of decompression sickness – An
immediate descent to be initiated
Decompression sickness is explained by henry’s law

 Effect of N bubbles
i) Bends – Bubbles in the joints cause rheumatic like
pain
ii) Creeps – N2 bubbled release under the
skin,Sensation of movement under the skin
 iii) Chokes – Shortness of breath, a feeling of burning,
gnawing, & piercing pain
iv) Staggers – Less of mental functions & control of
movement

Flying following diving- 24 hrs gap

DALTON’S Altitude
LAW Hypoxia
HENRY’S LAW Decompression
Sickness
Symptoms Creeps
Chokes.
Bends

Boyle’s Law Expansion of trapped gases in

human body with
increasing altitude
Law of Diffusion Transfer of CO2 from
blood to alveoli

The EYE
1) Cornea – Light enter the eye through cornea, 70-
80% of focus ability.
2) Iris – responsible for amount of light allowed to
enter.
3) Pupil- Hole which adjusts to the flow/amount of
light to retina.
4) Retina – Rods & Cones
 Rods – For peripheral & night vision
Cones – capable of color vision
5) Fovea – Central part of retina
6) Depth in vision through binocular vision

Natural Focus Point -> 1 to 2 m (Empty Field

Myopia)

Visual Defects
A) Myopia –> Short-sightedness- Concave lens
B) Hypermetropia -> Long-sightedness – Convex Lens
C) Presbyopia -> usually in people over 40. Inability of
lens to change its shape to adjust and focus the image onto
the retina.
D) Astigmatism ->Caused by misshaped or oblong
cornea. Objects appear irregularly shaped.
E) Glaucoma ->(Increases pressure within the eyeball)Can
lead to total blindness and undetected reduction of the
visual field and reduces visual acuity in final stages.
 F) Depth perception is achieved through binocular
vision

Night Vision
Full Adaption to dark takes about 30 minutes
To adjust to high illuminated areas – 10 sec
Scan should be by slight eye movements to the side of
the object

SHELL MODEL

Humans & Machines-”Liveware-Hardware”

Humans & Materials-”Liveware-Software”
Humans & their colleagues-”Liveware-Liveware”
Humans and the operating environment-“Liveware-
Environment”
Stress
1) Moderate levels improve performance
2) More increase in physical strength than promoting
mental performance
 3) Stressors accumulate thus increasing likelihood of
exhaustion. Indications of Stress – Perspiration,
flushed skin, dilated pupils, fast breathing
4) Arousal – The response of a person to the event or
circumstances to which he is exposed and is a measure of
a person’s readiness to respond effectively to a given
stress factor and varies upon personality, character,
training, and experience.
5) Automation – High levels will lead to pilots ‘being
out of the loop’

The Ear

Eustachian Tube- Allows pressure in the middle ear to

ear equalize across the ear drum with outsider ambient
pressure when climbing or descending. (DGCA)
Do not fly, If it is blocked.

Barotrauma – Pain due to difference in pressure

existing between middle & ambient ear(Blocked
eustachian tube)

Prebycusis – Deterioration of hearing with advanced

age. High tones cut off first.

IMP POINTS:

Do not fly after:

 Local Anesthetic for at least 24 hours
General Anesthetic for at least 48 hours

G forces:
A pilot experience 1G in straight and level
Flight. Positive G force effects:
Increase in body weight
Grey out
Possible black out
Internal organ displaced

Negative G:
Increases the flow of blood to the head.
Face becomes very flushed and eye bulge.
RED OUT

“The adverse Effects of G can be delayed by

tensing the thigh and stomach and easing off
the backward pressure on the column.”

MEMORY:
SHORT TERM MEMORY : Information will be lost in
10-20 Seconds.
LONG TERM MEMORY : Information stored for
unlimited period of time.