A Summary of the Technical Pilot Selection Literature

Abstract

This report summarizes the history of U.S. military pilot selection for fixed-wing aircraft beginning in 1917 with the entry of the United States into World War I. The World War I effort to develop a predictive pilot selection battery is covered in detail. The second chapter of the report deals with the period between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II. The little research that was conducted during this period is presented along with changes in the Army's and Navy's pilot selection batteries and processes. The impact of a reduced selection system on training outcomes is described. The third chapter deals with pilot selection in World War II and describes the development of the Army Air Forces pilot selection system and the Navy's system. Because of the large amount of material available on pilot selection during this period, this chapter summarizes the research and development efforts and presents representative predictive validities for the selection instruments. The fourth chapter deals with the 5-year period between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Korean War. Few developments occurred during this period, and the chapter is correspondingly brief. The final chapter presents an overview of work conducted since 1950. It concentrates on three types of selection instruments that have been used since World War II: personality, biographical, and timesharing. This chapter ends with a final perspective on efforts to develop a predictive pilot selection system and suggests areas for further research.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA553707

Entities

People

  • Diane L. Damos

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Flight Training
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Aviation
  • Military Pilots
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychological Tests
  • Psychology
  • Students
  • Task Performance And Analysis
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Readers

  • Business Analytics
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.