Pilot Selection

Psychological Principles and Practice

Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen, Todd Hubbard, Ray King, Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen, Todd Hubbard, Ray King

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429959899
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Aviation
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This comprehensive book describes in practical terms - underpinned by research - how recruitment, selection, and psychological assessment can be conducted amongst pilots. The chapters emphasize evidence-based and ethical selection methods for different pilot groups. It includes chapters written by experts in the field and also covers related areas, such as air traffic controllers and astronauts. The book is written for airline managers, senior pilots responsible for recruitment and training, human resources specialists, human factors and safety specialists, occupational health doctors, psychologists, AMEs, practitioners, or academics involved in pilot selection.

Robert Bor, DPhil CPsychol CSci FBPsS HonFRAeS UKCP Reg EuroPsy, is a Registered and Chartered Clinical Counselling and Health Psychologist, Registered Aviation Psychologist and Co-Director of the Centre for Aviation Psychology.

Carina Eriksen, MSc DipPsych CPsychol FBPsS BABCP, is an HCPC Registered and BPS Chartered Consultant Counselling Psychologist and Registered Aviation Psychologist.

Todd P. Hubbard, B.A., M.S. Aeronautical Sciences, Ed.D. Applied Educational Studies in Aviation, Lt. Col. USAF (ret.), is the Clarence E. Page Professor of Human Factors research, University of Oklahoma.

Ray King, Psy, D., J.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, recently retired from the U.S. Air Force, currently with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

1 Introduction

Robert Bor, Carina Eriksen, Todd P. Hubbard, and Raymond E. King

Contents

Suggestions for Readers

Commercial aviation is one of the world’s largest industries, and safe operations require dedicated professionalism as well as co-ordination between a wide range of professionals including pilots, air traffic controllers, maintenance engineers, dispatchers, managers, cabin crew, healthcare personnel, as well as many others. It is surprising, therefore, that there has not been an authoritative book on the selection of aviation-related professionals for nearly three decades, even though there are many selection systems in place and an array of idiosyncratic procedures for conducting these, across the industry. Are they all equally effective? Can they all be considered safe? Are all pilots the same? Do pilot selection procedures add value and ensure that the best is hired for the specific role? Are they fair, and are they based on ‘select-in’ or ‘select-out’ philosophies? Do the approaches in current use reflect contemporary and trending issues in aviation? This edited book, reflecting the highest standards of practice and academic research and underpinned by sound ethical principles, seeks to explore, address and answer some of these questions in the context of commercial pilot selections, although we include some insights into the selection of other professional aviation groups as well.

The issues facing commercial aviation are complex and ever-changing. The recruitment, selection, training and retention of pilots is challenging for several reasons. There is a worldwide shortage of commercial airline pilots, and with the current predetermined and absolute retirement age, predictions are that those facing retirement over the next five to ten years will not be replaced in equal numbers, and this does not even begin to address the additional needs from projected growth in the industry. It remains a male-dominated industry, and no more than approximately 5% of the world’s commercial pilots are women, and in some airlines, all pilots are men. There needs to be urgent, determined and sustained campaigns to recruit more women into the industry, which will broaden the pool of candidates. Regional growth, such as in Asia and the Middle East, may fuel occupational mobility among pilots and draw pilots away from their home country, thereby creating shortages in some regions and countries. Instructors and experienced First Officers looking ahead to promotion for command may seek better employment and lifestyle opportunities, leaving behind a skills-and-experience void. The job of a pilot has evolved considerably from the days when pilots were mostly recruited from the military, where ‘stick-and-rudder skills’ were arguably the most sought-after abilities and where authoritarian personalities were favored in the hierarchical cockpit which would often include a navigator and flight engineer in addition to the two pilots. Increasing automation, moves towards autonomous navigation, an emphasis on non-technical pilot skills (such as leadership, crew resource management and the recognition that pilots can enhance the brand and therefore profitability of the carrier through certain passenger interactions) have made it a more complex job requiring different skills and abilities. Aviation regulatory authorities, responsible for safety and oversight of aviation worldwide, now require airlines to pay greater attention to the psychological wellbeing of pilots and related employees, and also to the selection of them, to ensure a good ‘fit’ between the pilot and airline. Pilots are increasingly selected not only for their flying ability but also for how they fit within an organization or company. Their ability to work within the culture of the organization is valued as highly as their flying record and piloting potential or skills. Mental health and stability, personality and cognitive performance are increasingly relevant in the pilot assessment and recruitment process. It is well recognized that one size simply does not fit all when it comes to pilot selection.

Recent developments in technology, commerce, as well as in tourism have increased the range of roles for which pilots may be selected. The control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), for example, demands unique piloting skills as their remote sensing displays cover only two dimensions and of course the pilot does not actually take to their air. Oil and gas workers need to be transported to offshore rigs in helicopters sometimes in challenging and unfavorable conditions, whilst ‘bush pilots’ often operate on their own in hostile environments with only rudimentary and often unreliable navigation and weather information. It is clear there is no single ‘pilot-type’ although there are some commonalities with regard to ability, skills and temperament.

Effective pilot selection and training also play a fundamental part in the safety, efficiency, cost base and public image of any aviation-based organization, whether commercial or military. Pilot selection has grown in sophistication and importance with the development of aviation, from the earliest days of the Wright brothers. The first selection of a pilot was, arguably, when over 100 years ago, in 1903, Wilbur won the coin toss, but their first attempt was unsuccessful and therefore Orville subsequently (three days later) flew the ‘flying machine’ for 59 seconds, covering 852 feet. Aviation was then experimental, in its infancy and aspirational.

In the First World War, pilots were selected from among cavalry officers, with the assumption that proficiency at riding a horse while carrying a weapon signified an ability to multitask. In many respects today’s pilots, recruited into both the airline industry and military, bear little resemblance to their predecessors. Not only are the majority of pilots in employment serving within commercial aviation as opposed to military, but the tasks they are required to perform are, in most respects, completely different. The modern flight deck is typically a place of highly automated systems, screens and digital readouts rather than one of physical levers and mechanical instruments. It demands advanced computer skills, excellent co-ordination and communication both between the pilots themselves and also with external teams such as air traffic controllers, company dispatch, company managers, as well as leadership and team management abilities.

Psychological principles, tools and skills have been used for decades in the selection of pilots for initial training and/or job recruitment, and to determine whether they have the aptitude, ability, ‘right stuff’ and personality to succeed as a pilot. In recent years, psychological and work-related assessment methods have been extended to include aptitude and suitability for career progression, such as promotion from First Officer to Captain. Attention to this sensitive and complex activity has further increased following the Germanwings pilot murder–suicide crash in 2015 when emphasis in the process expanded to include mental health and stability as well as neurocognitive measures as part of these assessments or in specific cases. The importance of selecting ‘the right person for the job’ and the challenges this entails were highlighted after this event, and aviation regulatory authorities worldwide have also drawn attention to the need to provide expert psychological assessment and support services for air crew.

Particular challenges for those who recruit and employ commercial pilots are that:

1. (a) psychometric tests vary in what they measure—tests must be carefully constructed, standardized, validated and justified for specific applications; predictive qualities may vary;
2. (b) pilot norms for comparison are not always available from test publishers rendering comparisons within the pilot population a challenge;
3. (c) psychometric tests may in some selection situations be used and the results interpreted in ways not intended by those who constructed and published these instruments;
4. (d) the large number of applicants for positions may mean that recruiters must be expedient and the full range of information and insights about a candidate may not be drawn upon when reaching decisions (for example, medical histories, school records, clinical presentation and employment histories are sometimes not taken into account); some organizations have a selection process and sequence in which candidates may ‘fail’ at a particular stage or gateway, without gathering and comparing findings at a selection ‘board’ resulting in some potentially good candidates being lost early on in the process;
5. (e) expediency may result in over-reliance on online screening tests with limited or questionable reliability and validity and, in the absence of identity and security checks, raise questions about whether the candidate themselves actually completed the assessment;
6. (f) suitably trained and experienced psychologists are not always used in the administration, interpretation and feedback stages of test use—which is itself contrary to the ethical use of psychometric tests—with potential deleterious consequences for the applicant and recruitment process, as well as the image of the recruiting organization; and
7. (g) few organizations have experience in the use of psychological assessment covering a wide range of domains that apply to the modern pilot including aptitude and flying ability, personality and mental health, leadership, team working, decision making, spatial awareness, communications skills, multi-tasking and neurocognitive functioning, among many others.

Given the high cost to train as a pilot and in order to prevent attrition on psychological grounds both during training and in the course of their career, pilot selection methods need to be safe and ethical, reliable, valid, relatively cheap (given the high number of applicants), straightforward to administer and cover a wide range of domains.

Whilst there are many academic papers published in medical, aviation, personality, psychology and human resources journals on specific and focused aspects of pilot selection, there is no contemporary, definitive, practical, professional book on this important subject. There are virtually no scientific or practitioner books published on pilot selection. This practitioner book is primarily aimed at pilots responsible for recruitment and training, human resources specialists, human factors and safety specialists, occupational health doctors, psychologists, Aviation Medical Examiners, practitioners and academics who work or who are involved in pilot selection.

This text seeks to describe in practical terms how recruitment, selection and psychological assessment can be conducted amongst pilots. There are also some chapters on related areas and domains (such as air traffic controllers, engineers and astronauts) to broaden the appeal of the book as it is envisaged that recruitment into these roles will be of interest to the readership. We have also sought to address some key topics such as remotely piloted aircraft, retirement from flying, personality assessment and other topics. Our aim has been to present an edited practical professional book which is:

1. 1. comprehensive and practical in focus
2. 2. reflective of modern, evidence-based practice in the fields of psychology and selection and recruitment in the airline industry and for high risk occupations
3. 3. authoritative and comprises contributions from experts in the field drawn from several countries, professions and representing a range of aviation-related organizations
4. 4. mindful of the need to reflect a balance between robust and useful psychological and psychometric assessments, on the one hand, and processing the large number of applications received by those seeking pilot training and related positions when qualified on the other and
5. 5. which promotes an ethical, liberal and compassionate approach with respect to pilot selection issues

Our aim was to present in one authoritative book a range of different skills and methods that can be used for the assessment an...