PPL human performance 040: practice questions and syllabus
Human performance covers what flying alone does not teach you: physiology (hypoxia, hyperventilation, carbon monoxide, vision, balance), psychology (attention, memory, stress, fatigue) and error management, as the EASA PPL syllabus defines them. The questions are concrete: how do you recognise hypoxia, what does severe stress do to decision-making? Our bank has 255 questions on this subject.
- explained questions in the bank
- 255
- pass mark per paper (EASA)
- 75 %
What the syllabus covers
The topics of the EASA syllabus for this subject, with what each one lists.
1Human factors and aviation psychology
human factors in aviation, becoming a competent pilot, attention and vigilance, perception, memory, reliability of human behaviour, decision-making, error management and situational awareness, communication, hazardous attitudes, stress and fatigue.
2Aviation physiology and health
the atmosphere, respiratory and circulatory systems, hypoxia, hyperventilation, vision, hearing, equilibrium, spatial disorientation and illusions, personal fitness, sleep, intoxication.
Source: EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (AMC to Part-FCL)
The illustrated course
To understand before you answer: 12 chapters and 89 key points, 89 of them with a diagram or an illustration. The first chapter, « Atmosphere and breathing », is free to read.
- Atmosphere and breathing
- Hypoxia, hyperventilation and carbon monoxide
- Pressure, ears, diving and accelerations
- Vision
- Visual illusions on approach and at night
- The inner ear and spatial disorientation
- Health, alcohol, medication and fatigue
- The brain: information, memory and attention
- Stress
- Decision-making, hazardous attitudes and error
- Resources, communication and teamwork
- Human factors throughout flight lessons
5 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.
Question 1 · 2 Aviation physiology and health
Carbon monoxide fumes are particularly dangerous:
- Athey act after a latency period of several hours.
- Bthey irritate the eyes.
- Cthey are odorless and colorless.
- Dthey can create a risk of explosion.
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Answer: C. they are odorless and colorless.
Carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless: you cannot rely on your senses to detect it. In a cockpit, it can come from exhaust gases, for example through the cabin heating. An inexpensive CO detector provides protection against it.
Question 2 · 2 Aviation physiology and health
In the presence of hypoxia, the time of useful consciousness:
- Adecreases as altitude increases.
- Bincreases as altitude increases.
- Cis independent of altitude.
- Ddecreases as altitude decreases.
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Answer: A. decreases as altitude increases.
The less oxygen there is, the shorter the time of useful consciousness. So it is by increasing altitude that TUC decreases.
Question 3 · 1 human factors and psychology
In a situation of intense stress:
- Ayou act instinctively until the source of the stress is found.
- Byour ability to analyze the situation improves.
- Cyou risk regressing to previously learned skills.
- Dyour actions become increasingly deliberate.
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Answer: C. you risk regressing to previously learned skills.
A moderate dose of stress can serve as motivation and improve performance. However, as stress increases, performance deteriorates very rapidly, leading to complete paralysis or hyperactivity depending on the individual. One of the effects of intense stress is a return to basic, previously learned skills. For example, one will revert to their native language even though they must speak English on the radio.
Question 4 · 2 Aviation physiology and health
So-called accelerations:
- A"negative" ones have no effect on blood circulation.
- B"positive" ones tend to reduce blood flow to the brain.
- C"negative" ones tend to reduce blood flow to the brain.
- D"positive" ones have no effect on blood circulation.
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Answer: B. "positive" ones tend to reduce blood flow to the brain.
A so-called positive acceleration (tight turn, pull-up) pushes blood towards the lower part of the body: the brain receives less blood, which can cause greyout and then loss of consciousness.
Question 5 · 1 human factors and psychology
The checklist:
- Amust necessarily be learned by heart.
- Bis only a list of emergency procedures.
- Cis a memory aid.
- Dis a memory aid used only in the early stages of training.
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Answer: C. is a memory aid.
The checklist is a memory aid: it ensures nothing is forgotten and contributes to flight safety. It does not have to be learned by heart and is not limited to the early stages of training.
8 more free questions, no sign-up: Free PPL human performance questions
How to approach this subject
Read this subject like an aviation medicine handbook: learn the symptoms and the right response. Hypoxia shortens the time of useful consciousness as you climb, hyperventilation is corrected by slowing your breathing, carbon monoxide has no smell, and severe stress makes you fall back on what you learned first.
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