CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO
HUMAN FACTORS
• Human behaviour and performance are cited as factors in the
majority of aircraft accidents. To decrease accident rates,
Human Factors in aviation must be better understood and the
knowledge more broadly applied. The improvement of
awareness in Human Factors presents the international
aviation community with the single most significant
opportunity to make aviation safer.
To introduce you to Human Performance and Limitations this
chapter includes:
• A possible meaning and definition of Human Factors
• A conceptual model of Human Factors
• The industry need for Human Factors
• The application of Human Factors in flight operations
• The levels of expertise required for flight safety in
modern day operations
 The Meaning of Human Factors
The human element in aviation can be considered in asset
terms as:
• The most reliable
• The most adaptable
• The most valuable

Unfortunately, the pilot is also the most vulnerable to outside

influences that can adversely affect performance.
 Pilot Error

• The phrase Pilot Error is peculiar to aviation; there is no

equivalent in the civilian world - Doctor Error, Engineer Error
etc. The phrase is “falling from grace” especially with the
advent of better Human Factors training. However, there is a
need to evaluate the human response to the above error
progression

• In aviation terminology an "incident" is a dangerous event but

with no serious consequences.
One good way to start is to sort out what has to be learnt into:
 
M - What I must Memorise
U - What I must Understand
D - What I must be able to Do
 Common Problems

• The student has no control over how fast the lecturer delivers
the lesson.
• How much material does the student need to write down; in
note taking, more is not necessarily better.
• Too much detail means little time is spare for thinking about
what is being taught.
Taking detailed, accurate notes, requires the student to pay
attention to everything that is said. Therefore, the time that a
student needs to think about what notes to take is as
important as the time that attention is paid to what the
lecturer is saying. Remember, borrowing notes is never as
effective as writing the notes during a lecture. The starting
point for any note taking must be the building of an effective
framework from which to work.
 CHAPTER 2

Respiration and Circulation

 The Human Need for Oxygen
 
• To live, the human being must produce heat and energy from
food eaten. Eaten food is converted into simple food products
and transferred to the tissues by the blood. It is then oxidized
to provide this heat and energy. To oxidize the food, oxygen
has to be supplied to the living cells in the body. The waste
product, carbon dioxide, is then carried away from the tissues
and expelled from the body. This process is respiration.
The definition of respiration is given below:
“The exchange of the respiratory gases, O2 and
CO2, between the organism and its
environment.”
 Respiration

The breathing process consists of two phases:

• Breathing In Inspiration
• Breathing Out Expiration
The respiratory system is made up of the following:
 
• Mouth and nose
• Trachea
• Bronchus
• Bronchiole tree
• Alveoli.
 CHAPTER 3

The Effects Of Altitude

 CHAPTER 4

Health and Hygiene

 CHAPTER 5

Diet and Digestion

 CHAPTER 6

Metabolism, Excretion And

Heat Regulation
CHAPTER 7

The Eye
 CHAPTER 8

Visual Illusions
 CHAPTER 9

The Ear - Hearing and the

Vestibular System
 CHAPTER 10

Vestibular Illusions
 CHAPTER 11

High Altitude Environment

CHAPTER 12

Sleep
CHAPTER 13

Stress
Stress affects all human beings. It is the perception of what
the stress is that determines whether the human copes.
Overstress a person and their ability to reason and function
correctly is reduced. Not enough stress will cause boredom
and complacency. The right amount of stress and optimum
performance levels are achieved.
• Stress can be defined as:
Excessive and aversive environmental
factors that produce physiological responses in
an individual
 The pilot needs to be aware of the problems of stress and
how to cope with the rigours it puts the body through. This
helps the person recognise the negative impact on
performance caused by overstress such as: 
• Fatigue
• Personal problems, and
• High workload
 The stress that the body is subjected to can be broken down
into three areas. Remember that these problems may be
singular or cumulative, for simplicity we look at each
separately.

• Physical Environment we live in; conditions such as, noise,

vibration and stages of hypoxia
 
• Physiological Fatigue, physical fitness, poor diet

• Emotional The domestic, social and emotional factors related

to living. Work related activity such as leadership or decision
making.
Stress can be defined as either:

• Chronic Stress The long term demands of a person’s lifestyle

such as work, health or domestic security

• Acute Stress Short term stress caused by the issues of the

day.
 CHAPTER 14

The Nervous System

 CHAPTER 15

Human Information
Processing
 CHAPTER 16

Situational Awareness and

Attention
 CHAPTER 17

Communication
 CHAPTER 18

Personality and Behaviour

 CHAPTER 19

Leadership / Followership
 CHAPTER 20

Decision Making
 CHAPTER 21

Error and Error Chains 

 CHAPTER 22

Learning and Learning

Styles
CHAPTER 23

Automation
CHAPTER 24

CRM & MCC