Improving Pilots' Risk Management Behaviour Through Active Involvement During Training

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2004-09, Vol.48 (22), p.2553-2556
• Main Authors: Molesworth, Brett R., Wiggins, Mark W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1541-9312; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/154193120404802209

The management of risk remains one of the most significant skills that pilots are expected to engage during aircraft operations. However, it is a skill that is seldom taught explicitly during aviation training. The present study sought to examine whether active involvement, and/or the provision of feedback during training, impacted behaviour during a simulated flight. Forty pilots were divided into groups so that some pilots flew the training flight in pairs, while others flew the flight as a single-pilot operation. Following training, half the participants received feedback concerning their performance. During a test flight, one week later, those participants who were actively involved in the flight displayed more risk averse behaviour in comparison to those participants who were simply co-pilots. Furthermore, the provision of feedback during training only appeared beneficial when pilots were able to recall similarities between the test flight and other flights that they had experienced.