The performance of pilots in the aerospace environment is a critical factor in the success of modern air and space travel. Various methods of evaluating performances of pilots have been implemented and the search for improved means of evaluation is an ongoing process. Multiple factors influencing performance have been identified in the past. However, as the demands on the pilot’s performances varies with changing technology, so does the need to identify new risk factors, as well as ranking old and new factors in order of effect on performance. Aim The descriptive study aims to identify and rank risk factors affecting the performance of pilots as assessed by the Penalty Scoring System at a Precision World Flying Championship. Methods and materials Pilots participating at the 2008 World Precision Championship in Ried-Kircheim in Austria were requested to complete questionnaires regarding possible factors that could affect performance stress factors. Each questionnaire required the subject to answer 14 questions, relating to 17 possible factors. These questionnaires were linked to the participant’s individual score as per the official competition results. Results Out of a total number (n = 178) of pilot performances during a week period, 88 % (n=157) completed questionnaires. Only 57% (n=89) of these performances were included in the study, due to administrative difficulties preventing the accurate linking of performances to penalty scores. Out of the 17 possible risk factors, 4 factors (23 %) were identified as being significantly associated with the Penalty Scoring System. Age proved the most consistent factor, the younger pilots (youngest aged 21) performing consistently better than the older ones (oldest aged 67), even if the older pilots may have had more experience. Experience also proved reliable as a factor predicting outcome, as the performances of the moderate experienced group (having competed in 3 or less previous World championships) was associated with a lower penalty score. The mood of the pilots on the day of competing proved to be an effective way of predicting outcome, with a good mood associated with a lower penalty score. Any medical condition or medication used, were associated with a higher penalty score. The remaining factors (n=13) showed no association, although some (n=5) factors, like sleep deprivation and alcohol are known risk factors. Conclusions The study succeeds in showing an association between the Penalty Scoring System and 4 factors (Age, Experience, Mood and Medical conditions) affecting the performance of pilots. Although not the aim of this study, the conclusion can be made that the Penalty Scoring System may be a valuable tool in identifying risk factors affecting pilot’s performance. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / Unrestricted

Bakgrund.Ländryggssmärta förekommer hos piloter och kan eventuellt vara en anledning till framtida långtidssjukskrivningar. Möjliga påverkande faktorer är antal yrkesverksamma år och träningsvanor. Det finns få antal studier gjorda på kommersiellt flygande piloter.  Syfte.Att kartlägga förekomsten av ländryggssmärta hos piloter inom kommersiell luftfart samt undersöka risken för långtidssjukskrivning. Vidare kartlägga skillnader i förekomst av ländryggssmärta hos piloter som arbetat <10 respektive >10 år samt att undersöka sambandet mellan ländryggssmärta och självskattad träningsvana. Metod.En tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes med webbenkät. Enkäten bestod av ett antal inledande egendesignade frågor och därefter följde Örebroformuläret kortversion av Steven Linton. Resultat.Antalet deltagare i studien var 73 respondenter vilket motsvarar en svarsfrekvens på 30 %. Totalt 57.5 % av de 73 respondenterna angav sig ha ländryggssmärta, av dessa hade majoriteten besvärats av smärtan i över ett år. Resultaten visade på att de piloter som hade ländryggssmärta inte hade en ökad risk för långtidssjukskrivning men att det fanns en skillnad i förekomst av ländryggssmärta hos de som arbetat över respektive under tio år (p=0.017). Korrelationen mellan träningsvanor och förekomst av ländryggssmärta var inte statistiskt signifikanta (r=0.03), (p=0.80). Konklusion.Prevalensen av ospecifik ländryggssmärta hos kommersiellt flygande piloter var hög och föreföll att öka med antalet yrkesverksamma år. Ytterligare forskning behöver undersöka vilka faktorer som bidrar till den höga förekomsten av ospecifik ländryggssmärta. / Background.Low back pain is common among commercial flying pilots and may possibly be a reason for future long- term sick leave. Possible influencing factors are the number of working years and exercise habits. There are few studies researching commercial flying pilots. Purpose.To describe the prevalence of low back pain among commercial flying pilots and to investigate the risk of long- term sick leave. Furthermore, identify differences in the incidence of low back pain among pilots who has worked <10 compared to >10 years, as well as to investigate the correlation between low back pain and self-assessed exercise habits. Method.A cross-sectional study was conducted with a web survey. The survey initially consisted of self-designed questions followed by “Örebroformuläret kortversion” by Steven Linton. Results.The study contained 73 respondents, which corresponded to a response rate of 30%. A total of 57.5% of the 73 respondents indicated that they had low back pain, of which the majority had been suffering for over a year.  The results showed that the pilots who had low back pain had no risk of long-term sick leave. There was a difference in the incidence of low back pain in those who worked over compared to under ten years (p=0.017). The correlation between exercise habits and the incidence of low back pain was not statistically significant (r=0.03), (p=0.08). Conclusion.The prevalence of nonspecific low back pain in commercial flying pilots was high and seemed to increase with the number of working years. Further research needs to investigate which factors contribute to the high incidence of nonspecific low back pain.

The problem of this study was to compare two methods of instruction in helicopter pilot ground training in terms of cost of training and support services and customer satisfaction upon completion of training. The purpose of the study was the evaluation of a specialized program of instruction taught on videotape by comparison with conventional instruction. The significance of the study was related to savings in costs of instruction per trainee. Research questions for the study sought significant differences between mean scores achieved by students receiving the two treatments. Data providing information on specific characteristics of the learners were gathered as a preliminary step to establish similarity of the students in the two groups compared. A table of random numbers was used to select subjects from the population of student pilots entering training for the Bell model 206B helicopter during the months of March, April and May 1981. Upon completion of the course, all students were asked to complete an evaluation opinionaire relating to satisfaction with selected aspects of the instructional program.

For decades, elite athletes have used mental skills training to enhance their performance. The effectiveness of these skills and strategies have been measured, documented and supported in research (e.g., Feltz & Landers, 1983; Vealey, 1994). As the remarkable benefits of mental skills continue to reach an ever-growing community of performers, it is surprising that many military organizations, known for their high standards for performance and little tolerance for error, have yet to take full advantage of this type of training. Canada’s Air Force (CAF), home to a world-renowned pilot training program, now finds itself seeking additional tools to empower pilots to achieve consistent, high quality performance under demanding, high stress conditions. The purpose of this research was to explore the psychological skills used by elite Canadian military pilots to perform successfully in this highly demanding occupation. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with elite Canadian pilots at a CAF base in Saskatchewan. Results indicated that pilots utilized all seven elements of Orlick’s (2008) Wheel of Excellence over three phases of flight: pre-flight preparation, mission execution, and post-flight debriefs. Pilots also drew on elements of the Wheel of Excellence during deployments to combat zones. Effective stress management played an especially important role in this context. Recommendations for future research include mental skills usage and preparation specific to deployment contexts as well as the implementation of a specific, relevant mental skills training program within the existing CAF pilot training program

Between 1905 and 1915 the aeroplane was tested at exhibitions and became a practical machine. Some observers, however, greeted this technological marvel with ambivalence. Skeptics felt that if the aeroplane could alter common perceptions about natural laws, it might also challenge time honored ideals and attitudes about the nature of man. In response, newspapers and magazines fashioned the aviator's image. The aviator was daring yet responsible, romantic yet reasonable. Some writers and reporters believed that an aviator's self-confidence and high moral character contributed to control in the air. By controlling the aeroplane with mastery and grace, an aviator remained master of the machine and an example of a proper way to adjust to technological changes. Oregonians witnessed significant aviation events between 1905 and 1915. Oregon's newspapers and magazines analyzed the aviator's struggle for control at exhibitions in a manner consistent with coverage in national publications. The aviator was a birdman, a new type of man, triumphant over technology and natural forces, in part because he possessed the noblest human qualities. After 1912 the aviator's image changed. Technological advance made spirals and loops anachronistic. The idea that an aviator was in complete control had been shattered at exhibitions where many had been killed. These deaths did not lessen the aviator's daring appeal, but they did lead to questions about their sanity. With the advent of world War I people could no longer believe that an aviator was a responsible steward for the aeroplane. Governments and businesses took greater interest in the aeroplane, and the aviator's appeal as an individual in a personal struggle for control diminished. Most bibliographical sources consulted were primary. Newspapers, magazines and manuscripts were studied extensively because contemporary accounts focused on cultural responses to the aeroplane. Modern secondary sources often detail technological advances but pay little attention to the aviator's image. This study presents a look at the cultural changes that came with the aeroplane and asserts that the building of the aviator's image was one response to fears about change.

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attack resulted in a myriad of new policies designed to enhance aviation security. These policies ostensibly considered the origins of the exact threat facing the United States. Missing, however, were the inputs from rank and file pilots of the airlines that policy makers were attempting to protect. This exploratory study distributed a 50-question survey designed to measure pilot perceptions of security risk and threats. Univariate descriptives were used to examine the extent to which sample data approximated the population of interest. Factor and reliability analysis were used to document the multidimensionality of the constructs and assess the appropriateness of the linear combination of variables used to construct the scales. Finally, correlation analysis was used to better understand which areas of airline security might be targeted by policymakers to enhance existing structures and practices. Results revealed statistically significant differences in the perceptions of pilot security concerns and the focus of current U.S. aviation security policy.

No description available.

This thesis discusses the research and development of a program to aid the aircraft designer with determining the pilot's visual acuity. The discussion involves the use of Object-Oriented programming, the use of a graphical user interface based upon the graphics standard PHIGS (Programmers Hierarchical interactive Graphics System) and the integration of this Pilot's View Module with an existing aircraft CAD (Computer Aided Design) program known as ACSYNT. The result is a program that lends itself to reuse and easy modification and is device independent. The main purpose of the pilot's view module is to provide total vision plots for the pilot in accordance with the military standards as stated in the document 850B. These standards include visibility design goals for several types of aircraft as well as methods for calculating and presenting the vision plots. The integration of the pilots view module with ACSYNT affords the designer the ability to examine the trade-offs associated with a particular cockpit design and the performance of that design within one CAD program. / Master of Science

Yes / American celebrity aviator Amelia Earhart was lost over the Pacific Ocean during her press-making 1937 round-the-world flight. The iconic woman pilot remains a media interest nearly 80 years after her disappearance, with perennial claims of finds pinpointing her location. Though no sign of the celebrity pilot or her plane have been definitively identified, possible skeletal remains have been attributed to Earhart. The partial skeleton was recovered and investigated by British officials in 1940. Their investigation concluded that the remains were those of a stocky, middle-aged male. A private historic group re-evaluated the British analysis in 1998 as part of research to establish Gardner (Nikumaroro) Island as the crash site. The 1998 report discredited the British conclusions and used cranial analysis software (FORDISC) results to suggest that the skeleton was potentially a Northern European woman, and consistent with Amelia Earhart. A critical review of both investigations and contextual evidence shows that the original British osteological analyses were made by experienced, reliable professionals, while the cranial analysis is unreliable given the available data. Without access to the missing original bones, it is impossible to be definitive, but on balance, the most robust scientific analysis and conclusions are those of the original British finding indicating that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to a robust, middle-aged man, not Amelia Earhart.

This ex post facto inquiry investigated the existence of an association between advanced formal education and the largely psychomotor task of flying military aircraft. The analysis of data indicated that such an association does exist. Data were analyzed by computer comparison of two separate data bases. The first data base included selected U.S. Air Force officers' educational histories. The second set of data included aircrew standardization/evaluation qualification grade scores. Individual subjects were identified, and for each subject a record was formed that included the subject's standardization flight proficiency grade and advanced educational background. Group subsets of selected variables were then recorded in 2 X 2 contingency tables and statistical calculations using chi square tests of independence were applied.