Pilot Candidate Research Articles

Responsible machine learning for United States Air Force pilot candidate selection

The United States Air Force (USAF) continues to be plagued by a chronic pilot shortage, one that could be exacerbated by an accompanying shortfall in the commercial airlines. As a result, efforts have increased to alleviate this shortage by finding methods to reduce pilot training attrition. We contribute to these efforts by setting forth a decision support system (DSS) for pilot candidate selection using modern machine learning techniques. In view of the recent Responsible Artificial Intelligence Strategy published by the United States Department of Defense, this research leverages interpretable and explainable machine learning methods to create traceable and equitable models that may be responsibly and reliably governed. These models are used to regress candidates’ average merit assignment selection system scores based on information available for selection and prior to training. More specifically, using data provided by the USAF from 2010 to 2018, this paper develops and analyzes multiple interpretable models based on Gaussian Bayesian networks, as well as multiple black-box models rendered explainable by SHAP values and conformal prediction. A preferred pair of interpretable and explainable models is selected and embedded within a DSS for USAF pilot candidate selection boards: the Air Force Pilot Applicant Selection System. The utilization of this DSS is explored, the analyses it enables are discussed, and relevant USAF policymaking issues are examined.

Optical see-through augmented reality can induce severe motion sickness

The aim was to investigate whether severe symptoms of visually induced motion sickness (VIMS) can occur in augmented reality (AR) optical see-through applications. VIMS has been extensively studied in virtual reality (VR), whereas it has received little attention in the context of AR technology, in which the real world is enhanced by virtual objects. AR optical see-through glasses are becoming increasingly popular as technology advances. Previous studies showed minor oculomotor symptoms of VIMS with the aforementioned technology. New applications with more dynamic simulations could alter previously observed symptom severity and patterns. In experiment 1, we exposed subjects to a traditional static AR application for pilot candidate training. In experiment 2, subjects completed tasks in a dynamic starfield simulation. We analyzed symptom profiles pre and post with the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) and during exposure with the Fast Motion Sickness Scale (FMS). We also developed a new FMS-D that captures symptoms of dizziness during simulation. As expected, in experiment 1 we found low VIMS symptomatology with predominantly oculomotor symptoms. In experiment 2, on the other hand, we detected severe VIMS symptoms in some subjects, with disorientation (SSQ subscale) as the main symptom group. The present work demonstrates that VIMS can be of serious concern in modern AR applications. The FMS-D represents a new tool to measure symptoms of dizziness during exposure. VIMS symptoms need to be considered in the design and usage of future AR applications with dynamic virtual objects, e.g. for flight training or machine maintenance work.

Technology Focus: Unconventional and Tight Reservoirs (July 2021)

As unconventional oil and gas fields mature, operators and service providers are looking toward, and collaborating on, creative and alternative methods for enhancing production from existing wells, especially in the absence of, or at least the reduction of, new well activity. While oil and gas price environments remain uncertain, recent price-improvement trends are supporting greater field testing and implementation of innovative applications, albeit with caution and with cost savings in mind. Not only is cost-effectiveness a requirement, but cost-reducing applications and solutions can be, too. Of particular interest are applications addressing challenging well-production needs such as reducing or eliminating liquid loading in gas wells; restimulating existing, underperforming wells, including as an alternative to new well drilling and completion; and remediating water blocking and condensate buildup, both of which can impair production from gas wells severely. The three papers featured this month represent a variety of applications relevant to these particular well-production needs. The first paper presents a technology and method for liquid removal to improve gas production and reserves recovery in unconventional, liquid-rich reservoirs using subsurface wet-gas compression. Liquid loading, a recurring issue downhole, can severely reduce gas production and be costly to remediate repeatedly, which can be required. This paper discusses the full technology application process and the supportive results of the first field trial conducted in an unconventional shale gas well. The second paper discusses the application of the fishbone stimulation system and technique in a tight carbonate oil-bearing formation. Fishbone stimulation has been around for several years now, but its best applications and potential have not necessarily been fully understood in the well-stimulation community. This paper summarizes a successful pilot application resulting in a multifold increase in oil-production rate and walks the reader through the details of the pilot candidate selection, completion design, operational challenges, and lessons learned. The third paper introduces and proposes a chemical treatment to alleviate phase trapping in tight carbonate gas reservoirs. Phase trapping can be in the form of water blocking or increasing condensate buildup from near the wellbore and extending deeper into the formation over time. Both can reduce relative permeability to gas severely. Water blocks can be a one-time occurrence from drilling, completion, workover, or stimulation operations and can often be treated effectively with solvent plus proper additive solutions. Similar treatments for condensate banking in gas wells, however, can provide only temporary alleviation, if they are even effective. This paper proposes a technique for longer-term remediation of phase trapping in tight carbonate gas reservoirs using a unique, slowly reactive fluid system. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 200345 - Insights Into Field Application of Enhanced-Oil-Recovery Techniques From Modeling of Tight Reservoirs With Complex High-Density Fracture Network by Geng Niu, CGG, et al. SPE 201413 - Diagnostic Fracture Injection Test Analysis and Simulation: A Utica Shale Field Study by Jeffery Hildebrand, The University of Texas at Austin, et al.

An integrated Shannon Entropy and reference ideal method for the selection of enhanced oil recovery pilot areas based on an unsupervised machine learning algorithm

Pilot-scale enhanced oil recovery in hydrocarbon field development is often implemented to reduce investment risk due to geological uncertainties. Selection of the pilot area is important, since the result will be extended to the full field. The main challenge in choosing a pilot region is the absence of a systematic and quantitative method. In this paper, we present a novel quantitative and systematic method composed of reservoir-geology and operational-economic criteria where a cluster analysis is utilized as an unsupervised machine learning method. A field of study will be subdivided into pilot candidate areas, and the optimized pilot size is calculated using the economic objective function. Subsequently, the corresponding Covariance (COV) matrix is computed for the simulated 3-D reservoir quality maps in the areas. The areas are optimally clustered to select the dominant cluster. The operational-economic criteria could be applied for decision making as well as the proximity of each area to the center of dominant cluster as a geological-reservoir criterion. Ultimately, the Shannon entropy weighting and the reference ideal method are applied to compute the pilot opportunity index in each area. The proposed method was employed for a pilot study on an oil field in south west Iran.

Analytic Hierarchy Process–Based Selection Method for Airline Pilot Candidates

ABSTRACT Objective: In this study, a new selection method for airline pilot candidates is developed. Background: In a large majority of previous studies, parametric statistical classification methods have been commonly used for the pilot candidate selection process. These kind of methods require a representative sample with sufficient numbers of good and poor candidates to minimize the standard error associated with the regression weights and to ensure prediction accuracy. In this study, a new pilot candidate selection method has been developed, which can also be used in cases where there are not enough candidates or there is not a significant relationship between predictors. Method: The model was developed by using an analytic hierarchy process technique. A survey was conducted with airline pilots working at Turkish air carriers to determine the weights of the selection criteria considered in the model. The minimum success score of each criterion was obtained from the survey results. The analyzes are carried out using the Super Decisions program. Results: We found that the most important factor among the pilot candidate selection criteria is psychomotor coordination and operational abilities with a coefficient of 0.37306. Conclusion: The survey results revealed the importance of flight abilities and personality traits for pilots and it also found that lack of motivation is the most important problem among new airline pilots.

Working Memory: A Criterion of Potential Practicality for Pilot Candidate Selection

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this research was to examine how candidates’ spatial working memory (WM) and visual perspective taking (VPT) skills could predict their training success. Background: To make pilot selection more effective, a body of research has focused on selection criteria. WM and VPT might be highly relevant to pilot training. However, very few studies have directly addressed their roles in training success. Method: Two hundred participants completed the computerized WM and VPT tasks individually at the beginning of flight training. Those who succeeded in the primary phase entered the advanced phase. Logistic regressions were done to determine the associations between WM and VPT and success or failure of training. Results: WM was positively correlated with training success in both primary and advanced phases. After controlling the covariates, WM still had a unique predictive effect on training success in the advanced phase. Conclusion: It could be beneficial to add spatial WM to procedures of pilot candidate selection.

A Viral Pilot for HCMV Navigation?

gH/gL virion envelope glycoprotein complexes of herpesviruses serve as entry complexes and mediate viral cell tropism. By binding additional viral proteins, gH/gL forms multimeric complexes which bind to specific host cell receptors. Both Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) express alternative multimeric gH/gL complexes. Relative amounts of these alternative complexes in the viral envelope determine which host cells are preferentially infected. Host cells of EBV can modulate the gH/gL complex complement of progeny viruses by cell type-dependent degradation of one of the associating proteins. Host cells of HCMV modulate the tropism of their virus progenies by releasing or not releasing virus populations with a specific gH/gL complex complement out of a heterogeneous pool of virions. The group of Jeremy Kamil has recently shown that the HCMV ER-resident protein UL148 controls integration of one of the HCMV gH/gL complexes into virions and thus creates a pool of virions which can be routed by different host cells. This first mechanistic insight into regulation of the gH/gL complex complement of HCMV progenies presents UL148 as a pilot candidate for HCMV navigation in its infected host.

Öğretmen Pilotların ve Öğretmen Pilot Adaylarının Öğretmenliğe Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi (Kara Havacılık Sınıfinda Yapılan Bir Uygulama)

Özet Bu araştırmanın amacı, öğretmen pilotların ve öğretmen pilot adaylarının öğretmenliğe yönelik tutumlarının ne düzeyde olduğunu incelemek ve değişkenler açısından değerlendirmektir. Araştırma grubu, Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı’nda görev yapan 70 öğretmen pilot ve 70 öğretmen pilot adayı olmak üzere 140 pilottan oluşmaktadır. Pilotlara “Öğretmen Pilotluğa Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği” ve araştırmacı tarafından geliştirilen “Kişisel Bilgi Formu” uygulanmıştır. Sonuçlar SPSS programı ile değerlendirilmiştir. Öğretmen pilotların öğretmen pilot adaylarına göre öğretmenliğe yönelik tutumlarının daha olumlu olduğu görülmüş ve öğretmen pilotlar lehine anlamlı farklılık gösterdiği sonucuna varılmıştır. Öğretmen pilotların öğretmenliğe ilişkin tutumları “tamamen katılıyorum” derecesinde, öğretmen pilot adaylarının ise “çoğunlukla katılıyorum” derecesinde olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Öğretmen Pilot, Öğretmen Pilot Adayı, Kara Havacılık, Tutum. Investigation Of Instructor Pilots’ And Instructor Pilot Candidates’ Attitudes Towards Teaching Profession (An Implementation In Army Aviation) Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate instructor pilots’ and instructor pilot candidates’ attitudes towards the teaching profession by considering different variables. The research group included 140 pilots - 70 instructor pilots and 70 instructor pilot candidates- who are serving in Turkish Land Forces. The pilots were given “ Attiude Scale Related to Teaching Profession” and “Personal Information Form” developed by the researcher. The results have been evaluated by Social Sciences Statistical Program (SPSS). According to the results of the research, it is seen that instructor pilots have generally had more positive attitudes towards teaching preofession than instructor pilot candidates and attitudes between candidates and instructors, showed meaningful difference in favor of instructor pilots. Instructor pilots' attitudes connected with teaching profession were observed at level ' I totally agree. ' but instructor pilot candidates' were observed at level ' I mostly agree. ' Key words: Instructor Pilot, Instructor Pilot Candidate, Army Aviation, Attitude

Early Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Pilots Using Measures of Personality and Aptitude

This study evaluated the extent to which personality measures (Self-Description Inventory+) could improve prediction of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training outcomes, beyond currently used cognitive, psychomotor, and aviation knowledge and experience predictors included in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Pilot Candidate Selection Method 2.0. Participants were 170 USAF officers with RPA Initial Flight Screening (RFS) outcomes and 110 USAF officers with RPA Instrument Qualification (RIQ) outcomes. Both RFS and RIQ emphasize development of skills traditionally required for manned aircraft pilots, also considered essential for USAF RPA pilots. Results showed significant negative relationships between the Big Five personality trait of Openness and several RPA training outcomes, and significant incremental variance explained by Openness beyond other predictors. Additionally, RFS and RIQ training outcomes were generally predicted by measures traditionally used for selection into manned aircraft pilot training courses and careers. Together, these findings suggest that personality, specifically Openness scores, and scores on traditional pilot selection measures, can serve as useful indicators in the early identification of RPA pilot talent.

Predictive Validity of Pilot Selection Instruments for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Training Outcome

Demand for remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) support has increased dramatically over the last decade. Initial efforts to meet the demand focused on cross-training experienced manned aircraft pilots and funneling recent Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) graduates to RPA pilot training. This approach reduced the number of personnel available for manned airframes and is no longer sustainable. In 2009, the USAF established an RPA career field and the Undergraduate RPA Training (URT) course to train officers with no prior flying experience to be RPA pilots. URT selection methods are very similar to those for SUPT. Some important factors for URT applicants are medical flight screening and aptitude tests [Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM)]. The current study examined the predictive validity of the AFOQT pilot and PCSM composites for URT completion. Subjects were 139 URT students with AFOQT and PCSM scores. The training criterion was URT pass/fail and the pass rate was 74.8%. Both the AFOQT pilot (r = 0.378) and PCSM (r = 0.480) composites demonstrated good predictive validity. No minimum qualifying PCSM score exists for URT. Had a minimum PCSM score of 25 been used, the pass rate would have been 80.2%; 12 more eliminees would have been screened out compared with the current AFOQT pilot minimum qualifying score of 25. Although current selection methods are effective, based on results of several RPA job/task analyses, the Air Force is examining the utility of other measures to supplement current methods.

Pilot Candidate Selection Method

In 1993, the US Air Force implemented the Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) as an additional indicator of pilot training aptitude. PCSM scores have been shown to be related to several pilot training criteria including graduation/elimination, flying grades, class rank, and number of flight hours needed to complete training ( Carretta & Ree, 2003 ). The PCSM composite is still in use today, but the scores that contribute to it have changed. The study reported here examined the predictive validity of the current composite versus several training performance measures for 883 students attending Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT). Results indicated that the PCSM composite remained predictive of flying training performance despite changes in test content and flying training. After correction for multivariate range restriction and dichotomization of the graduation/elimination criterion, the correlation between the PCSM composite and T-6 completion was .53. This is consistent with the value of .46 reported by Carretta and Ree (2003) for an earlier version of the PCSM composite. Its predictiveness can be attributed to the measurement of factors that have consistently shown a relation to flying performance: cognitive ability, aviation job knowledge/experience, and psychomotor ability.

Machiavellianism and Personality Typing as Determinants for Screening Commercial Pilot Candidates

The association between personality and effective team leadership in the cockpit environment has been a major focus of research in aviation management. The major air carriers incorporate in their assessment process personality style and decisionmaking skills by placing pilot candidates through a 2- or 3-stage interview process. In an ongoing effort to develop a comprehensive pilot candidate selection model, university researchers have studied the relationship between personality type and skill in small group manipulation. In this study, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a construct of personality type and the Mach V scale as a construct of skill in small group manipulation were employed in the survey of 52 commercial flight officers. 85% of the surveyed pilots fell into 1 of the 16 personality types measured by the MBTI scale, which correlated significantly with Machiavellian orientation as measured by the Mach V scale. Research indicates a significant relationship in success in leadership of small groups and the Mach V scores. The results of this study suggest the potential of select dimensions of the MBTI and the Mach V instruments in the screening of commercial pilot candidates for hire.

Study of common functional genetic polymorphisms ofFCGR2A,3Aand3Bgenes and the risk for cryptococcosis in HIV-uninfected patients

A pilot candidate gene association study was conducted to investigate the role of three common functional genetic polymorphisms of the low-affinity Fc gamma receptors, FCGR2A (131H/R), FCGR3A (158F/V) and FCGR3B (NA1/NA2) in Cryptococcus neoformans infections in individuals not infected with HIV. The FCGR2A 131RR and FCGR3A 158VV genotypes were over-represented [OR: 1.67 (1.05-2.63) and 2.04 (1.06-4.00), respectively] whereas the FCGR3B NA2NA2 was under-represented in patients with cryptococcosis (28% vs. 40% in controls). An analysis of haplotypes showed a significant difference in distribution between cases and controls overall and in Caucasians.

The Experience Factor: A Regional Airline View of Pilot Candidate Qualifications

Pilot hiring by the regional airlines has finally begun to rebound from the downturn that followed the events of September 11, 2001. While major airlines have traditionally hired aviators with high-time military flight experience, greater numbers are now being selected from the general aviation population. Regional airlines, in particular, depend on recruitment of less experienced aviators to sustain their rapidly expanding sector of commercial aviation. This study sought to determine the experience factors that regional airline managers consider important to the selection process for new hire pilots. Key administrators at eleven regional airlines were surveyed to identify their current hiring criteria and perceptions of applicant quality. Findings from this study provide useful insights for flight training program development as well as individual applicant preparation.

Tilt-table testing as a predictor of + GZ tolerance

G-tolerance assessment is an essential element of both military pilot and pilot candidate evaluation. Attempt at prediction of individual relaxed + Gz tolerance on the basis of head-up tilt (HUT) testing. In two stages, 20 healthy men at the mean age 21.5 years took part in this study. The first stage, a 45 min, HUT test was performed using the Westminster protocol. During the second stage each underwent a centrifuge evaluation in response to gradual onset rate profiles. In each subject, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) before and at 2, 15 and 45 min of the tilt-test were recorded. The gravity-load centrifuge (GOR) studies were carried out [following the standard GOR programme, at 0.1 G%divide;s rate of gravity load increase until the gravity load tolerance limit (loss of peripheral vision) was reached]. Relationships between variables were explored using Kendall's tau-B correlation coefficient. The critical P-level was one-tailed 0.05. In four of 20 subjects (20%), vasovagal syncope occurred during the tilt test. G-level tolerance of this group (of +Gz accelerations) lay in the range from +4 to +8.1 Gz, (+5.72 ? 0.86 Gz average) and was comparable to the group without syncope. Loss of consciousness did not occur in any subjects during the centrifuge test. No statistically significant correlation was observed between HR and BP during tilt test and tolerance to +Gz accelerations. The result of tilt testing, carried out according to the Westminster protocol, was not useful in predicting individual tolerance to +Gz gravity loads.

The Efficacy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Mach-V in Formulating Determinates for Pilot Candidate Selection

Researchers in crew resource management have sought to examine the association between personality and effective team leadership in the cockpit environment. In addition, most airlines make at least a subjective effort to assess personality style and decision-making skills by placing pilot candidates through a two or three stage interview process. In an ongoing effort at Auburn University to develop a comprehensive Pilot Candidate Selection Model, the authors’ purpose was to assess the MBTI and the Mach V as psychological instruments in facilitating the screening of pilot applicants through the development of a discriminate function or variant that would be both reliable and consistent. Neither of these instruments has been employed in the past to screen pilot candidates; yet they measure temperament and leadership skill and could prove useful as supporting instruments in the screening process. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a construct of personality type and the Mach V scale as a construct of skill in small group manipulation were employed in the survey of ninety-eight United States Air Force officers conducted over a three-year period. Research indicates a significant relationship in success in leadership of small groups and the Mach V scores. The authors were able to derive a discriminate function that proved 93 percent accurate in identifying professional pilots from a randomly selected sample of Air Force officers. The results of this study suggest the potential of the MBTI and the Mach V as supporting instruments in the screening of commercial pilot candidates for hire. The authors recommend extending this study to the commercial air carriers by selecting a test group of flight officers with strong CRM performance in order to validate the potential of the MBTI and the Mach V as instruments potentially useful in the larger effort to identify quality pilot candidates.

High Altitude Medicine: Impacts for Anesthesia?

Until recently altitudes above 4000 m were mostly visited by trained and experienced mountaineers, today these altitudes are open to anybody thanks to increased wealth, leisure time and mobility as well as to commercial trekking and mountaineering agencies. Therefore, practitioners are increasingly confronted with questions concerning high altitude tolerance. Often such questions are asked by individuals that have no prior mountaineering experience, have never been to high altitudes and may even be under treatment for chronic diseases. Therefore, knowledge about the physiology of acclimatization to high altitude, about high altitude illnesses as well as high altitude tolerance of patients with cardio-pulmonary disease is particularly important for those doctors who are asked for advice by people who intend to go to high altitude as well as for those doctors who accompany trekkings or expeditions. This mini-symposium demonstrates that we have quite a good knowledge, based on scientific data, about the physiology of acclimatization to hypoxia, while our understanding of the pathophysiology of high altitude illnesses is still rather speculative, although considerable progress has been achieved recently regarding the pathogenesis of high altitude pulmonary edema. Unfortunately, there are almost no controlled studies that investigate possibilities of assessment of tolerance to high altitude in healthy individuals or patients. Is research in high altitude medicine of any relevance for anesthesiology or intensive care medicine? At first glance there appears to be a big contrast : In anesthesia and intensive care medicine one tries with all means of the art to avoid blood gases, to which mountaineers or trekkers expose themselves voluntarily. A mountaineer who ascends rapidly to the Margherita Hut (4559 m) will have an arterial PO2 of about 40 mmHg and an arterial oxygen saturation between 70 and 80 % on the day of arrival. Except for a reduced performance, this level of hypoxemia does not have negative effects regarding well-being and health in those 50 % of the mountaineers who can tolerate such a rapid exposure without developing acute mountain sickness or high altitude pulmonary edema [1]. Equally impressive is the potential of adaptation of healthy humans to hypoxia. A pilot candidate of the Air Force who has to participate in an educational „demonstration on the effects of lack of oxygen” during which he is exposed rapidly to a simulated altitude of 8800 m will pass out within 10-15 minutes, if the doctor running the experiment does not give him the oxygen mask in time [2]. On the contrary, a mountaineer who ascends slowly over 6-8 weeks to the same altitude on Mount Everest is able to perform about 100 Watt at this altitude and will tolerate the following arterial blood gases : PO2 = 28 mmHg, PCO2 = 10 mmHg and SaO2 = 50 %, pH = 7,52 (at rest 7,56) [3]. Even during such maximal exercise in extreme hypoxia, one does not find arrhythmias or sign or ischemia in the ECG [4], while subtle cerebral dysfunctions occur (in most cases transiently) in some individuals [5]. The discrepancy between high altitude medicine and anesthesia will disappear when looking at it from a different point of view. The blood gas values reported from high altitude show which degree of hypoxemia can be tolerated without apparent damage by healthy individuals during acute and chronic exposure to hypoxia. Perhaps, one should keep in mind these blood gas values of healthy individuals at altitudes of 4500 m when balancing over the narrow ridge between oxygen toxicity and hypoxemia in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine.

U.S. Air Force pilot selection and training methods.

U.S. Air Force (USAF) pilot selection and training procedures have changed substantially in the last several years. Pilot selection procedures were augmented with the introduction of computer-based testing to assess pilot aptitude. Training procedures have changed in an effort to modernize the training fleet and provide better, more specialized training earlier in the training process. Despite several studies showing the utility of USAF pilot aptitude tests for predicting training performance, results of a recent policy capturing study suggest that this information is often ignored by pilot candidate selection boards. The two largest sources of USAF pilot trainees relied heavily on measures of officership when making selection decisions. Cumulative research findings suggest that USAF pilot selection decisions could be improved by making better use of currently available personnel attribute data. Further improvements could be expected from the addition of a structured selection interview and measures of personality.

Basic Attributes Test (BAT) Retest Performance

The Basic Attributes Test (BAT) contributes to a U.S. Air Force pilot selection composite known as the Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM). When PCSM was operationally implemented in 1993, no retests were permitted on the BAT. To determine the effects of retesting on mean score change and reliability, the BAT was administered to 477 college students who were then retested after 2 weeks, 3 months, or 6 months. Several important findings were observed. First, about 70% of the students exhibited score improvement on retest, regardless of length of retest interval. Those who performed poorly on the 1st test generally exhibited larger improvements than those who performed well on the 1st test. Second, practice effects diminished as the length of the retest interval increased. For a 6-month retest interval, it was expected that the mean increase in PCSM scores would be about 6 percentile points. The results suggest that BAT retests could be permitted no less than 6 months after initial testing. Third, and very important, BAT scores demonstrated acceptable reliability. The reliability of the psychomotor composite ranged from .775 to .800, and the reliabilities for the other subtests ranged from .474 to .871.

Better Candidates Fly Fewer Training Hours: Another Time Testing Pays Off

The relationship between Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) scores and the number of flying training hours required to complete United States Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) was investigated on a sample of 1,082 graduates. This was done to demonstrate that ability testing has real world correlates and that cost savings accrued as a result of ability testing. The criterion ‘extra flying hours’ was computed by subtracting each student's cumulative flying hours from the sample mean. The correlations (corrected for range restriction) between PCSM scores and primary and advanced flying training extra hours were −0.206 and −0.270, respectively. Demonstrating that UPT graduates with higher PCSM scores required fewer flying hours to complete training facilitates the estimation of the cost avoidance achieved by ability tests.