Effects of PC-Based Pretraining on Pilots’ Performance in an Approved Flight-Training Device

Abstract

PC-based multimedia learning tools are rapidly approaching a level of refinement that will allow them to become a viable and inexpensive option to the more traditional simulator training vital for instrument pilot certification. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether pretraining through the use of an inexpensive multimedia computer program, the ELITE, will lead to effective pilot performance compared with pretraining that is limited to an FAA-approved flight-training device. A standard instrument flight maneuver, the Distance Measuring Equipment Arc (DME ARC), was chosen for this experimental study. Scores on criterion-referenced tests were used to evaluate cognitive pilot performance. A computer scoring program was used to evaluate pilots' psycho-motor skills in the FAA-approved flight-training device (AST-300). A t-test statistical procedure was selected to analyze the resulting data. The results from the data analysis of pilots' performance indicated that there is no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group on: (a) cognitive performance in both the pre-and post-written evaluations, and (b) pre-and post-tracking skills as a function of the type of pretraining. This study identified PC-based flight trainers in aviation as an effective procedural learning tool that should be used in the overall flight-training environment.