Professionally Important Psychophysiological Qualities of Flight Instructors and Their Development

Abstract

This paper presents the results of determining the professionally important psychophysiological qualities of flight instructors to optimize the pilot training process and identify the possibilities for targeted training of these qualities. The research was carried out through questionnaires and testing using professional psychological selection systems. The flight instructors participating in the experiments were divided into two groups. The first group (15 subjects) consisted of individuals who had recently completed their studies (theoretical training) and had no work experience, aged 25–28 years; the second group (10 subjects) consisted of flight instructors with a work experience of 8–10 years, qualified as first class specialists, flying the Yak-52 aircraft, aged 35–37 years. An expert survey of flight instructors found that the most important psychophysiological professional qualities are visual and instrumental tracking abilities and situational awareness. The results show that professionally important psychophysiological qualities can be improved by a dedicated course integrated in the planned training program.