FAA Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA)Aeromedical and ADMMedium
Before departing on a cross-country IFR flight, a pilot pauses to honestly evaluate personal factors including recent alcohol use, medication, stress level, and fatigue. Which personal checklist is the pilot using?
- APAVE
- BDECIDE
- C5P
- DIMSAFE
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. IMSAFE
IMSAFE is a personal fitness-for-flight checklist standing for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Eating/Emotion. It is specifically designed to help pilots self-assess whether they are physically and mentally fit to fly before each flight.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. PAVE assesses overall flight risk in four categories: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures.
- B. DECIDE is a six-step decision-making model, not a personal fitness checklist.
- C. 5P (Plan, Plane, Pilot, Passengers, Programming) is a broader risk management tool, not specifically a personal fitness checklist.
IMSAFE Checklist
A personal self-assessment checklist pilots use before flight to evaluate fitness, standing for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating/Emotion.
- Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating/Emotion
- Used for self-assessment of physical and mental readiness
- Should be applied before every flight, not just long trips
Memory trick: I'M SAFE to fly only if all six boxes check out.