The Motivational Orientation of Army Aviators

Abstract

This study examined the motivational orientation of U.S. Army aviators as well as their preferences and expectations for future flight experience. A sample of 116 aviators-in-training enrolled in the Army's Initial Entry Rotary Wing aviator course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, participated in the study. Despite the occupational paradigm for each type of aviator (e.g., commissioned officers will typically focus on administrative and leadership skills, whereas warrant officers will typically specialize on individual piloting skills) and current Army policies focused on warrant officer aviator retention (e.g., additional monetary compensation), it was hypothesized that the aviators would not significantly differ with respect to these variables. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that commissioned officer and warrant officer aviators did not significantly differ with respect to motivational orientation, preferences for future flight experience, and expectations of future flight experience. Hierarchical regression models were then developed to determine the relative importance of gender, officer type, and motivational orientation toward the prediction of preferences for and expectations of future flight experience. Motivational orientation contributed significantly to the prediction of preferences, whereas officer type contributed significantly to the prediction of expectations of future flight experience. Implications of these findings with respect to retention and job satisfaction, as well as methodological limitations of the study and future research directions, are reported.