ATPL human performance 040: practice questions and syllabus

What the syllabus covers

The topics of the EASA syllabus for this subject, with what each one lists.

1. 040 01Human factors: basic concepts

   human factors in aviation, flight safety concepts, safety culture.

2. 040 02Aviation physiology and health maintenance

   basics of flight physiology, environment and sensory system, health and hygiene.

3. 040 03Basic aviation psychology

   information processing, human error and reliability, decision-making, error avoidance and cockpit management, human behaviour, overload and underload, advanced cockpit automation.

Source: EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (AMC to Part-FCL)

The illustrated course

To understand before you answer: 14 chapters and 126 key points, 126 of them with a diagram or an illustration. The first chapter, « The atmosphere, gas laws and the cabin environment », is free to read.

1. The atmosphere, gas laws and the cabin environment
2. Breathing, circulation and the nervous system
3. Hypoxia, hyperventilation and carbon monoxide
4. Pressurisation, decompression and barotraumas
5. Accelerations, noise and vibration
6. Vision
7. Balance, disorientation and illusions
8. Health, fitness and lifestyle
9. Sleep, fatigue and circadian rhythms
10. Information processing
11. Stress, workload and motivation
12. Human error, reliability and safety culture
13. Decision-making, judgement and attitudes
14. CRM, communication, crew and automation

ATPL human performance course: contents and chapter 1

3 questions to practise

Taken from the site's English bank and checked one by one. Read the question, choose your answer, then open the explanation. Like every explanation on the site, they may contain errors.

1. Question 1 · 040 02 physiology and health

   Which part of the vestibular apparatus is responsible for the impression of angular acceleration?

   • AThe semicircular canals
   • BThe sacculus and utriculus
   • CThe eustachian tube
   • DThe cochlea
   Show the answer+

   Answer: A. The semicircular canals

   The semicircular canals are responsible for the perception of angular acceleration.

2. Question 2 · 040 02 physiology and health

   During a night flight at 10,000 feet you notice that your acuity of vision has decreased. In this case you can increase your acuity by:

   • Ascanning sectors of the field of vision
   • Bdim the instrument lights
   • Cclosing one eye
   • Dbreathing extra oxygen through the oxygen mask.
   Show the answer+

   Answer: D. breathing extra oxygen through the oxygen mask.

   Since night vision is especially hypoxia-sensitive, breathing supplemental oxygen can restore visual acuity that has degraded at altitude.

3. Question 3 · 040 03 aviation psychology

   In problem-solving, what determines the transition from rules-based activities to a knowledge-based activity ?

   • AThe unsuitability of the known rules for the problem posed
   • BKnowledge of rules which apply to the problem posed
   • CAttentional capture
   • DThe unsuitability of the automated actions
   Show the answer+

   Answer: A. The unsuitability of the known rules for the problem posed

   The transition from rule-based to knowledge-based problem-solving occurs when the known rules prove unsuitable for the current problem.

8 more free questions, no sign-up: Free ATPL human performance questions

How to approach this subject

For physiology, learn the mechanisms: Dalton's law, hyperventilation and alkalosis, presbyopia. For psychology, learn the models: SHELL for the interfaces, Rasmussen for errors (skill, rule and knowledge based), and the limits of working memory (about seven items, give or take two, held for a few seconds without rehearsal).

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