FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATM)Human Factors and CRMEasy

A first officer feels the onset of a mild cold two hours before a scheduled departure. Following her CRM training, she runs through a personal fitness-for-duty checklist that considers illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion before deciding whether she is fit to fly. Which mnemonic is she applying?

  1. A5P Model
  2. BIMSAFE
  3. CPAVE
  4. DDECIDE
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B. IMSAFE

IMSAFE (Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion) is the standard personal self-assessment checklist used by pilots to determine fitness for flight. PAVE addresses risk categories for a flight, not personal health.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. The 5P model (Plan, Plane, Pilot, Passengers, Programming) is a broader risk-management tool, not a fitness self-check.
  • C. PAVE assesses Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External pressures for overall flight risk, not just personal health.
  • D. DECIDE is a decision-making process, not a fitness checklist.

IMSAFE Checklist

A personal self-assessment checklist pilots use before flight to evaluate physical and mental fitness to fly safely.

  • I = Illness
  • M = Medication
  • S = Stress
  • A = Alcohol
  • F = Fatigue
  • E = Emotion/Eating

Memory trick: I'M SAFE to fly only if I check every letter.

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