Perceptual/psychomotor and cognitive tasks in a computer-aided aptitude test were studied to predict the success of a trainee in flight training. Pilots' tasks were tentatively classified into 5 categories: tracking, reaction, memory, estimation, and visual scanning. To investigate the performance of a trainee in these categories, 16 single tasks and 10 dual tasks were examined. In the factor analyses 3 common factors (tracking, reaction, and memory)were meaningfully extracted. To select significant tasks for predicting flight performance, stepwise regression and discriminate analyses were performed. In the regression analyses, memory tasks were most significant in predicting the flight performance of a trainee. In the discriminate analyses, tracking tasks were most significant for distinguishing the passing and failing groups. The reaction tasks were of little significance in predicting the performance of flight trainees.
Abstract