Similarities and Differences in Psychophysiological Reactions Between Simulated and Real Air-to-Ground Missions

Abstract

This study examines the similarities and differences in psychophysiological reactions in simulated and real flight. Five fighter pilots from the Swedish Air Force participated in the study, flying the same type of mission in a simulator and in real flight. Each pilot flew the same mission 3 times in the simulator and later 3 times in real flight. The pilots' heart rate, heart rate variability, and eye movements were continuously measured. Analyses of these data indicate that the pilots' psychophysiological reactions are very analogous in the simulator and in real flight.