Best Evidence for the FAA Industry Training Standards (FITS) Program for Pilot Training in Technically Advanced Aircraft

This paper continues investigating the effectiveness of FITS syllabus training, evaluated in an earlier 2004 study, with a second study conducted by the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Aerospace Department FITS research team. In the original study, students were trained in a FITS-approved combined Private/Instrument curriculum in technically advanced aircraft (TAA). The effectiveness of that training was compared, through identification of setbacks and bottlenecks in training, to archival records of students who had been trained in "round dial" aircraft using a traditional flight training curriculum. In the October 2005 issue of this publication, it was reported that the FITS trained students experienced fewer statistically significant setbacks and bottlenecks than the traditionally trained students. The question that remained to be answered was whether the FITS syllabus or use of TAA was the determining factor in the positive results attained. In the phase of the study reported upon herein, a new group of students completed their Instrument Rating training, flying TAA but using a traditional curriculum. The results of all 3 groups of students are compared, and the evidence suggests that the FITS syllabus is responsible for the improvements in training, not the use of TAA. In addition, results of several surveys administered in this work show that not only is FITS training more efficient due to reduced bottlenecks and setbacks, but that it is also more effective at preparing students to make real-life decisions in the flight environment.