Psychology and Recruitment Procedure in Aviation

Table of Contents

Psychology and Recruitment Procedure in Aviation1

Introduction1

Discussion1

Aviation Psychology1

Importance of Psychology in Aviation3

Importance of Psychologists in Aviation5

Problems faced by the Pilots7

Human Error and Aviation13

Recruitment Procedure in Aviation13

Air service Australia15

Thai International Airways Pilot Recruitment Program16

Conclusion21

References24

Psychology and Recruitment Procedure in Aviation

Introduction

Psychology is a very broad field of study; its meaning has been altered in many ways over the years. However, even in its broadest term it can simply be stated as the knowledge about an individual's cognitive or mental health along with their emotional stability. Similarly, aviation psychology tends to cater to the stressful and demanding needs of the aviation involving personnel such as the pilots to the cabin crew staff, engineers and other many technical engineers and personnel. This paper aims to focus aviation psychology concerning its need and importance for the pilots and how useful this field of study can be in the recruitment practices of these pilots in this industry. This paper discusses in detail about aviation psychology, its importance in the field of aviation as well as the importance of the psychologists in this field. The discussion then encompasses to elaborate in detail the many problems and challenges faced by the pilots due to psychological imbalances. Lastly, the second segment of this paper highlights the importance of effective recruitment practices and procedures in the aviation industry, by further illustrating the recruitment procedure followed by Air service Australia and Thai Airways.

Discussion

Aviation Psychology

Aviation Psychology can easily trace its birthroots to World War I days. Its birth was more or less because of reducing the selection and hiring process's timeframe of inducting new officers into the air force. Prior to the war, the aviation industry or the sector was petite in its global presence. The air fleet and the related staff and pilots existed in limited numbers, with many countries did not even have a proper aviation infrastructure. It was only a little time before, and during the World War I that the need for increasing and developing aviation infrastructure arose. At that time, the purpose of Aviation psychologists was to identify and hire incumbents that may best fit the role as military air force pilots. However, after the war ended these military aviation programs were shelved, although a large proportion of the military air fleet was later on diverted to be used for commercial needs. Conversely, it was during the anticipatory preparations before World War II that aviation psychology reemerged. In order to fulfill the rising demand for pilots effectively, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in collaboration with the National Research Council in 1939 took the initiative to develop and launch the 'Pensacola Project' for researching on the training and selection of the aircraft pilots in 1940. Thus, this was the formal birth of the field of Aviation Psychology. Similarly, the need for and the role of an Aviation psychologist, formally known as Aviation Experimental Psychologist (AEP) has over the years too evolved into catering to newer concerns. These concerns includes the human factor designing, ...