FAA · Private Pilot Knowledge Test

Private Pilot Aeromedical Factors

Pilot physiology and fitness to fly: hypoxia, vision, illusions, ear and sinus blocks, fatigue, and ADM.

There is no separate Aeromedical Factors exam. It is one of the subjects on the Private Pilot Knowledge Test, a single test that covers them all.

The Knowledge Test

60questions
2.5 htime limit
70%to pass

Syllabus

What the test covers

Pocket Pilot teaches Aeromedical Factors in eight lessons, about 58 minutes of reading in all.

01
The Body in Flight
7 min
Atmospheric pressure and the body · Effects of reduced pressure · The respiratory system · Hemoglobin and oxygen transport · Carbon monoxide: the silent killer · The cardiovascular system · Hydration · Body temperature · G-forces and the body · The vestibular system: your inner ear's role · Vision and altitude · Time-of-day effects · The bottom line
02
Hypoxia
6 min
The four types of hypoxia · Hypoxic hypoxia: the altitude form · Symptoms of hypoxia: by stage · Time of Useful Consciousness (TUC) · Susceptibility factors · The FAA regulatory altitudes · When to use supplemental O₂: beyond the regulation · Diagnostic and treatment · Carbon monoxide hypoxia: the cabin heat trap · Hypoxia training · Operational lessons
03
Hyperventilation & CO Poisoning
6 min
Hyperventilation: the opposite chemistry · How to differentiate and treat · Carbon monoxide: the silent killer · CO detectors · Smoke and fumes · Oxygen masks and equipment · The unique CO hazard · Combining the threats
04
Vision & Night Flying
8 min
How the eye works · The blind spot · Scanning technique · Daylight scanning · Night vision · Loss of dark adaptation · Hypoxia and night vision · Off-center viewing at night · Visual illusions at night · Visual cues for traffic · Vision corrections · Eye strain · Vision and altitude · Vision and weather · Pre-flight vision check
05
Spatial Disorientation & Illusions
9 min
The three orientation senses · The vestibular illusions · Visual illusions · Vection illusions · Flicker vertigo · Recovery from spatial disorientation · Practical PPL training · The 180-degree turn · Vertigo
06
Ear Block, Sinus Block & Scuba
7 min
The Eustachian tube: how the ear equalizes · Ear block on descent: the common case · Preventing and treating ear block · Decongestants and aviation · Sinus block · Tooth pain: barodontalgia · Gut gas · Scuba diving and flight · Other physiological pressure issues · Pre-flight self-check · The bottom line
07
Fatigue, Stress & Medications
8 min
Fatigue · Stress · Medications · Alcohol · "Bottle to throttle" reality · IMSAFE: the universal self-check · When to consult a flight surgeon · Sleep deprivation in numbers · Personal minimums for fitness
08
Aeronautical Decision-Making
7 min
The DECIDE model · The 3P model: a simpler ADM framework · Hazardous attitudes: the five traps · Personal minimums: the operational framework · The PAVE checklist: risk assessment · The IMSAFE checklist: pilot self-check · Risk management: the matrix · Communication: the team aspect · "Macho" recognition · Decision points during the flight · The 80-20 rule for ADM · CRM in single-pilot operations · Common decision errors · The PIC's authority · After the flight · The bottom line

Format

How the test works

The Private Pilot Knowledge Test, often called the written, is one multiple-choice test of 60 questions drawn from every area of the FAA's Airman Certification Standards. Aeromedical Factors questions are mixed in with the rest.

You have 2.5 hours, and you need 70% to pass, which is 42 correct answers.
You take it at an approved testing center, once your instructor has endorsed you for it.
A pass is valid for 24 calendar months, and you need to pass your checkride within that time.

In Pocket Pilot you can practice Aeromedical Factors on its own, from a growing question bank, then sit a full 60-question mock exam that mixes every subject, timed like the real test.

Sample questions

Try three test questions

From the Pocket Pilot Aeromedical Factors question bank, each with the app's explanation and the source it cites.

01 / 03
A fingertip pulse oximeter is NOT a reliable warning of carbon monoxide poisoning because:
1. ACarbon monoxide destroys the sensor
2. BIt only works above 10,000 ft
3. CHemoglobin bound to carbon monoxide still reads as 'saturated' to the optical sensor
4. DIt measures carbon dioxide rather than oxygen
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer C. A standard pulse oximeter estimates saturation optically, and carboxyhemoglobin looks much like oxyhemoglobin to it, so a pilot with dangerous CO levels can show a reassuring 97 percent. CO detection needs a CO detector: a digital unit that alarms within seconds, not a slow-reacting chemical spot card.
Source
FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 17 / AIM 8-1-4
Lesson
Hyperventilation & CO Poisoning
02 / 03
During a night takeoff with rapid acceleration and no visual references, you feel the nose pitching up steeply even though the attitude indicator shows a normal climb. This is:
1. AThe leans
2. BAn actual stall developing
3. CThe somatogravic (false climb) illusion; trust the attitude indicator
4. DAutokinesis
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer C. Linear acceleration tilts the otolith organs, which the brain interprets as pitch-up. Pilots who respond by pushing the nose over have flown into the ground. The defense is instrument discipline during low-visibility takeoffs.
Source
AIM 8-1-5 / FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 17
Lesson
Spatial Disorientation & Illusions
03 / 03
On a night approach to a runway with no lights between you and the airport (a 'black hole' approach), the tendency is to:
1. AFly too high and overshoot
2. BFlare too high
3. CSee the runway more clearly than by day
4. DFly a dangerously low approach because you feel higher than you are
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer D. With featureless dark terrain short of the runway, pilots feel high and descend early. Use the VASI/PAPI and cross-check the altimeter against known distances on every dark approach.
Source
AIM 8-1-5
Lesson
Vision & Night Flying