IMSAFE: Systematic Checklist for Pilot Readiness to Fly - Essay Sample

IMSAFE is a systematic method used by single pilots to minimize potential risks while flying (Reinhart, 2007). It is designed in the form of a checklist in a hierarchical way to enable the pilot to check each item. The main purpose of this checklist is to evaluate the pilot’s readiness to fly. It assesses both the physical and mental status of the pilot’s readiness.

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The following is an explanation of each abbreviation of the IMSAFE acronym. Illness: this is the most likely risk that a pilot can experience (Reinhart, 2007). Here the pilot is required to evaluate oneself and find out if there’s any form of illness either physically or psychologically. If the pilot is found to have any illness, he should consider seeking medical attention. Medication: here, the pilot evaluates oneself to find out if there’s any medication that is taken that could affect the decision-making process or make one drowsy while flying. Stress: the pilots examine oneself to find out if there’s any mental pressure from work being experienced. The pilot also inquires if one has any financial, health, or family issues. Stress has been discovered to lead to performance and concentration problems among all professional workers, including pilots. Albeit the moderation list medical issues that require grounding, the stress issues are not one of them. Here the pilot mainly focuses on the impacts of stress on performance.

Alcohol is the next inquiry on the IMSAFE checklist. The pilot makes an examination of oneself to find out if there’s any form of alcohol one has taken and the duration that has lasted since the alcohol was taken and the amount of alcohol that was taken. Such as if the pilot drunk within the last 8 hours or 24 hours, and if so, how much did one drink? If as less as an ounce or as much as several bottles. Alcohol makes a pilot highly vulnerable to disorientation and hypoxia while at work. Next is Fatigue: the pilot should evaluate for the presence of any tiredness and insufficient rest. The issue of fatigue is among the most subtle risks to the safety of the flight. This is because it usually tends to appear not as risky and manageable until the pilot begins to make serious faults. The last element on the IMSAFE checklist is the Emotion. Here the pilot checks ones emotional condition, such as if the pilot is emotionally upset.

Pilots have been known to have a high rate of self-imposed medical stresses, which have likelihood to affect performance while at work (Reinhart, 2007). Examples of this include fatigue, alcohol, and illicit drug consumption, self-medication, and caffeine consumption. While some of these elements can clinically be evaluated before the pilot takes a flight, some of the psychological statuses can only be examined by the pilot. These are aspects such as psychological stress and emotionally upset. Therefore, Pilots use this method as it evaluates every aspect that concerns safety to facilitate the efficient decision-making process.

Reference

Reinhart, R. (2007). Basic flight physiology. McGraw Hill Professional.https://www.mheducation.ca/basic-flight-physiology-9780071494885-can