Adverse Weather Training for Pilots

Adverse Weather Training for Pilots

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of the author's knowledge by exploring some relevant facts related to Adverse Weather Training for U.S. Pilots. Despite the fact that pilots are tested psychologically before attending flight training organizations and have to be well prepared to work under high pressure, the most commonly determined cause of crashes remains to be the human factor. Air transport is by its very nature one of the most international of economic activities. Over the next 15 years, the activities of airlines are expected to increase globally. If the current low rate of accidents continues, the fact remains that the statistical viewpoint, the number of airline accidents will increase. Since safety is the priority of the department, the challenge for aviation managers as well as other aviation authorities will discover innovative ways to curb this trend by further reducing the accident rate. Therefore, teaching pilots about proper stress coping mechanisms led to improvement and successful performance of stressful flying tasks (Hansen, 2007).

In this paper, the author will examine different aspects of Initial pilot training and Recurrent pilot training. The author will use the fundamentals of human factors in all aspects of the aviation and aerospace industry, including unsafe acts, attitudes, errors, human behavior, and human limitations as they relate to the aviators adaption to the aviation environment to reach conclusions. Furthermore, the author will also apply current aviation and industry related research methods, including problem identification, hypothesis formulation, and interpretation of findings to present as solutions in the investigation of aviation training.

Discussion & Analysis

The effects of Adverse Weather Recognition Training for Pilots

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of weather recognition training on pilots' situation assessment and tactical decision making under gradually aggravating weather conditions. To meet this purpose, the effectiveness of WeatherWise and an X-Plane 9 flight simulation program has been examined. WeatherWise is a computer-based weather training program developed by Wiggins et al. (2000) to improve GA pilot weather-related decision making, and was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for free public use.

Pilot situation assessment is a pilot's understanding of a current flight state, and was evaluated in terms of weather assessment and risk assessment. Weather assessment is the pilot's ability to recognize or estimate the changes in visibility, ceiling, and weather condition. Risk assessment is the understanding of the risks associated with flying in adverse weather conditions, and was measured in terms of risk perception and risk tolerance using the Hazardous Event Scale, personal weather minimums, and the Aviation Safety Attitude Scale (Hansen, 2007).

Pilot tactical decision making is in-flight judgment, and can be evaluated in terms of decision accuracy and decision confidence. Decision accuracy can be evaluated by measuring the distance that a pilot has flown from an optimal divert point to an actual divert point, and the distance a pilot has flown into adverse weather conditions. Decision confidence is the pilot's confidence level in making diverting decisions ...