ATPL(A) · subject 040

Human Performance — revision notes

A subject with no arithmetic, but dense in figures and precise definitions. This is where the difference is made: knowing the exact nuance, not the general idea.

Written on the EASA Learning Objectives, checked against the primary texts, delivered as an A4 PDF and a screen edition, in English and in French.

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What is inside

Human Performance

Part 1 · 040 01

Basic concepts

Accident statistics, threat and error management, models of error, safety culture. The framework everything else sits in.

Part 2 · 040 02 01

Flight physiology

Atmosphere and partial pressures, respiration, circulation, hypoxia, hyperventilation, oxygen, pressure effects and acceleration.

Part 3 · 040 02 02

The senses

Vision, visual defects, runway illusions, hearing, the vestibular system and spatial disorientation. The highest-yield part of the syllabus.

Part 4 · 040 02 03

Health and hygiene

Circadian rhythm and sleep, medical fitness, alcohol and substances, incapacitation, nutrition, the cabin environment.

Part 5 · 040 03

Aviation psychology

Information processing, memory, decision making, crew co-operation, hazardous attitudes, workload, stress and automation.

Appendices A → E

Figures, traps and sources

Every figure worth memorising on two pages, the classic exam traps, the key terms, the corrections applied and the sources consulted.

The parts, in syllabus order

Part 1	Human factors: basic concepts	040 01 — Human factors in aviation · Accident statistics · Flight safety concepts · Safety culture
Part 2	Flight physiology	040 02 01 — Atmosphere and gas laws · Respiration · Circulation · Hypoxia · Pressure · Acceleration
Part 3	The senses	040 02 02 — Vision · Visual defects · Illusions · Hearing · Vestibular system
Part 4	Health and hygiene	040 02 03 — Circadian rhythm · Medical fitness · Substances · Incapacitation · Nutrition · Environment
Part 5	Aviation psychology	040 03 — Information processing · Decision making · Crew co-operation · Behaviour · Workload

Exam traps you will meet in this subject

What people get wrong

A sample from Appendix B. The full list is in the notes.

Believing the percentage of oxygen falls with altitude. It stays at 21 %; the partial pressure falls.
Believing breathing is driven by a lack of oxygen. It is driven by CO₂, which is why hypoxia gives no warning.
Confusing ambient oxygen (160 mmHg) with alveolar oxygen (103 mmHg).
Confusing signs (seen by others) with symptoms (felt by the subject).
Forgetting that TUC is the time for useful action, not the time to unconsciousness.
Only hypoxia produces cyanosis. Hyperventilation gives pale, cold, clammy skin.

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040 Human Performance

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