The Study of Aeronautical Decision-making (ADM) in Aviation Operations: How Pilots learn ADM from Training?

Aviation operates in a complex environment involving factors such as different aircraft types, phases of flight, missions, time available, and degrees of risk, all of which may influence aeronautical decision-making (ADM). Flying a high-tech fighter with, high stakes and under high G-force is not simply an issue of skilled psychomotor performance but is also one of flight management and real-time decision-making. The aims of the study were: to identify common errors of ADM in tactical flight training, to identify the ADM abilities the pilot needs in the cockpit, to investigate the influences upon ADM. The results highlighted differences in perception between instructors and students in the causes of errors and thus highlighted important areas that could be included in future training in order to improve judgment and decision making in military pilots. Structured interviews (nine senior instructor pilots and nine student pilots) were carried out and critical-incidents technique was used to investigate aeronautical decision-making during tactical flight training. Student pilots were just finishing the AT-3 training with ROC Air Force. Each instructor and student gave a description of frequent student errors in tactical flying training and of their perceived required abilities for ADM under eight tactical flight conditions: Take-off and Landing, Transition, Instrument, Formation, Tactical Formation, Night Navigation, Basic Fighter Maneuvering and Cross Country. In dynamic situations, the decision process is restricted by limited attention and working memory capacity of the decision maker especially in novel situations. The results of the literature review suggest that aeronautical decision-making can be improved with training.