Checkride

Aeromedical Considerations For The Checkride

During your checkride, your examiner will ask you about aeromedical considerations in flying. With all there is to learn, new pilots often overlook this area. That's a mistake, because pilot examiners know how important aeromedical factors are to flying safely.

Two primary reasons you should be familiar with aeromedical issues are that pilots and passengers alike can suffer from physiological problems that make flying a bad idea, and that altitude can heighten the effects of an existing illness.

On the day of your practical test, you will have to evaluate your own physiological airworthiness. Sure, you have butterflies, but it could be from something more serious than simple nerves. No problem. Your examiner probably has had many checkride candidates cancel because of illnesses that non-aviators consider minor. The safest rule is to not fly with any illness.

Your examiner will probably touch on your understanding of federal aviation regulation (FAR) 61.53, which lists prohibitions regarding flying when you are sick. You do not have to quote them, of course, but you do need to know what they cover.

You can prepare by reading the private pilot practical test standards (PTS). In Area of Operation I, Task H, the PTS wants you to explain symptoms, causes, effects, and corrective actions for at least three of seven specific aeromedical conditions.

Hypoxia leads the list of aeromedical topics covered during checkrides. Your examiner might ask you for symptoms of hypoxia-impaired judgment, confused thinking, fatigue, dull headache, bluish lips and fingernails, unconsciousness, and, ultimately, death-or may list symptoms and ask you to identify the malady. Applicants commonly confuse hyperventilation (excess oxygen) with hypoxia (insufficient oxygen). Hyperventilation's symptoms are different and include dizziness, nausea, hot or cold sensations, tingling in extremities, and unconsciousness. Unconscious passengers revert to automatic breathing, so hyperventilation may pose little danger to them if it occurs at low altitude where there is a rich breathing environment.

Examiners also often address middle ear and sinus problems. Because our society demands that we continue normal activities when we have a cold, sore throat, or other ailments, we may be tempted to fly with these symptoms. But at altitude they can cause serious problems, including vertigo, extreme pain, and ruptured eardrums. To aviators, these illnesses may not be so minor.

Some examiners introduce spatial disorientation with scenarios involving lowered visibility. An examiner once pointed to a desolate area on my sectional chart and said, "Visibility has become low here. You feel disconnected, as though your eyes and muscles aren't sending your brain the same information. What is happening?" He wanted me to recognize spatial disorientation and have a realistic plan to deal with it. Are you aware that vertigo can occur anytime you lose outside references? Reading charts, changing fuel tanks-any task inside the cockpit can trigger disorientation. When you can't trust your senses, what can you trust? How serious is spatial disorientation and why? Have answers to these questions when you meet the examiner.

Motion sickness questions often accompany weather discussions, as turbulence can induce motion sickness quickly. The discomfort it brings jeopardizes your flying efficiency when you need all of your skills. Motion's continuous stimulation of the inner ear distorts the human sense of balance. At the onset of motion sickness, you may find yourself salivating and perspiring. Nausea and disorientation follow. You may get a headache, and you could become incapacitated. As unsettling as this is in a passenger, you can see that an afflicted pilot's wisest course is to land. Your examiner wants to see wisdom.

Many examiners test applicants' knowledge of carbon monoxide poisoning when discussing the cabin heat system. While the heater can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, one of the most common sources of carbon monoxide for pilots is tobacco smoke. Those who smoke about one pack of cigarettes daily already have about 6 percent carbon monoxide saturation in their blood. Whether oxygen deficiency stems from altitude or carbon monoxide, the effect is the same. You should also know that over-the-counter medications that depress the nervous system, such as sedatives or antihistamines, can make pilots more susceptible to hypoxia.

Taking a checkride induces stress, and your examiner understands this. Nevertheless, stress can impair pilot performance, compromising alertness and judgment and tempting you to take needless risks. Stress plus fatigue is an especially hazardous combination. For an eye-opening look at flying and stress, read Stress and the Pilot, a pamphlet from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.

The PTS specifies several sources for aeromedical knowledge. Examiners are familiar with Advisory Circular 67-2, The Medical Handbook for Pilots; you should be, too. Its thorough information is useful far beyond the private pilot certificate. The Flight Training Handbook, AC 61-21, is a brief but good foundation. Also look in the Aeronautical Information Manual.

Your passengers rely on your understanding of aeromedical factors, so your examiner will test at least three of them. Which three? That's anybody's guess. Most examiners vary their oral questions. Your familiarity with aero-medical factors will serve you well throughout your flying career.