Aeromedical
Teaching aeromedical isn't reading the textbook chapter aloud — it's noticing that your student showed up tired today, that the second autorotation was sloppier than the first, that the third time around the pattern they stopped responding to ATC the way they did the first two. The CFI's aeromedical job is two-layered: cover the ACS-required knowledge well enough that the student internalizes it, and recognize physiological factors in the student in real time so the lesson stops before something goes wrong. Both layers matter; both are skills you build, not facts you memorize.
The instructor's aeromedical job
Teaching Aeromedical
How to teach IMSAFE so students actually use it. Pre-lesson screening, scenario-based teaching, the FOI principles that apply specifically to aeromedical material, and the ACS standards for PPL/IFR/CPL aeromedical knowledge.
Student Stress & Fatigue
Recognizing overload vs productive struggle. Cognitive load theory applied to flight instruction. Lesson pacing that builds skill rather than crams. The "one more time" trap and how to call a lesson without breaking student morale.
The full aeromedical curriculum the CFI teaches
The CFI's responsibility is the same content covered on the PPL, IFR, and CPL aeromedical tracks. Use those pages as your reference; this section adds the teaching-specific layer.
PPL Aeromedical (7 sub-pages)
The foundational material — IMSAFE, hypoxia, hyperventilation, SD, vision, CO/environmental, alcohol/drugs/fatigue. Covers everything in the PPL ACS aeromedical area of operations.
IFR Aeromedical (4 sub-pages)
IIMC recovery, vestibular system in IMC, ICEFLAGGS / GARRF illusions, pressure changes. Required for the IFR rating practical.
CPL Aeromedical (3 sub-pages)
HEMS / night ops, long-line and chronic vibration, confined-area workload and decision fatigue. The commercial-operations physiology.
CFI Risk Management
Adjacent topic — the framework for evaluating risk in lessons and operations. Aeromedical is one input to that calculation.