Contributions of Platform Motion to Simulator Training Effectiveness. Study 2. Aerobatics

Abstract : A transfer of training design was used to evaluate the contributions of simulator training with synergistic six-degrees-of-freedom platform motion to the acquisition of aerobatic skills in the novice pilot. Thirty-six undergraduate pilot trainees with no previous jet piloting experience were randomly assigned to one of three treatment group (n=12): (a) Motion, (b) No- Motion, and (c) Control. Those students assigned to the Control group received the standard syllabus of preflight and flightline instruction. The students in the two experimental conditions received five sorties, in the Advanced Simulator for Pilot Training (ASPT), covering instruction on basic and advanced aerobatic tasks. All students received the same amount of training on each task, that is, a fixed number of repetitions per task. Student performance in the ASPT was evaluated periodically throughout the pretraining phase by the use of Instructor Pilot ratings for overall task performance and of special data cards. Following three missions of instruction in the ASPT on the basic aerobatics tasks (Aileron Roll, Split 'S', Loop, Lazy 8), the student advanced to the flightline for T-37 instruction. Upon completion of the basic block, the students returned for 2 ASPT instructional sorties on the advanced aerobatic tasks (Barrel Roll, Immelmann, Cuban 8, and Clover Leaf). The ASPT training was followed by the corresponding aircraft instructional block. Airborne performance was evaluated by the flightline instructor pilot using the same data card format used during the ASPT phase.