Functional Aging in Pilots: An Examination of a Mathematical Model Based on Medical Data on General Aviation Pilots
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to apply mathematical procedures to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilot medical data to examine the feasibility of devising a linear numbering system such that (1) the cumulative probability distribution functions (CPDF) for persons who are not diagnosed as having an acute pathology are lower on the scale than those diagnosed as having an acute pathology, and (2) the CPDF's for both groups overlap minimally. The analyses presented some pertinent results. (1) age is not as accurate in discriminating between the sudden incapacitating pathology and nonpathology groups as the linear discriminant composite. (2) As age increases from post-50, to post-55, to post-60, classification using the discriminant index increases monotonically. (3) Better measures that predict these pathologies with more accuracy would further separate the CPDF's of the pathology and nonpathology groups. Based of these results a possible strategy for future study on pilot certification is discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA123756
Entities
People
- James O. Boone
Organizations
- Federal Aviation Administration