Personal Flyer®

In aviation, startle is not simply being surprised. Surprise is primarily a cognitive response to an unexpected event, while startle is an immediate physiological and neurological reflex triggered by a sudden stimulus.

By Captain Bassani - ATPL/B-727/DC-10/B-767 - Former Senior Aviation Accident Inspector - SIA PT. https://www.personalflyer.com.br - captbassani@gmail.com - May/2026 Image AI We have checklists and QRH procedures for almost every technical malfunction, yet subtle pilot incapacitation and “amygdala hijack” still sit at the fringes of our SOPs. In neuro‑ergonomic terms, this hijack is not a metaphor: it is a measurable shift where the limbic system briefly bypasses the prefront

Some procedures are fully legal yet demand above-average operational discipline. The circling approach is one of them.

In modern aviation, we trust our instruments until they no longer reflect physical reality.

The transponder is not a minor cockpit detail. It is a critical element for surveillance...

Air Canada Express Flight 8646 (a Jazz Aviation CRJ‑900) collided with a Port Authority fire‑fighting truck ..

“Aviate–navigate–communicate” and “manage–monitor–intervene” only gain real meaning when we look at what actually happens on the line and in the simulator.

Pilotos têm bem menos “tempo de cérebro” do que parece para ver, interpretar e agir sobre o que aparece no PFD e nos sistemas de bordo, sobretudo em decolagem e aproximação.

Operating medium and large transport aircraft during takeoff and approach pushes the pilot’s brain very close to its practical cognitive limit...

Situational Awareness (SA) is frequently described in oversimplified terms as "knowing what is happening around you."