1., 2.,

1. The pilot compares his severe injuries to finding a  dead cat on the sofa. The simile reveals that the pilot's state of mind was he was really fine and that nothing was wrong with him. Also he didn't feel anything because he was to full of excitment and was so unafraid. The pilot is unaware of what is really happening to him and really isn't normal. 

2. The repetition of "I'm gong to pass out" heighten the suspense of the story because the pilot might actually pass out, while he is  flying the plane. It make readers want to know what will happen to the plane if he was to really pas out. In the passage the pilot is returning back to his regular mind state.