As the USAF dramatically expands Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) usage, theexplosive growth in flying hours is accompanied by an equally rapid growth in theneed to train aircrews and by initiatives to use less experienced personnel as operators.Earlier research revealed that most MQ-1 accidents involved causal human factors,often in four specific aircrew behavioral areas: inadequate crew coordination,channelized attention, task misprioritization, and wrong course of action.Working with the MQ-1 community, four specific training interventions weredeveloped for pilots and sensor operators in initial qualification training: (1)enhanced academics; (2) web-based interactive mishap case histories; (3) agame-based multi-task skills trainer; and (4) GemaSim, a laptop-based teamtrainer. The four training interventions were introduced cumulatively over thecourse of 18 months for 27 different MQ-1 training classes (540 aircrew) usingbaseline, control and experimental classes. Training effectiveness assessmentwas structured around Kirkpatrick's Level I (student reaction), Level II(evidence of learning), and Level III (transfer of learning). Level III impactswere evaluated during two specific sorties in training.Student reactions (Level I) regarding all four treatments were positive, buthighest for the GemaSim team trainer and enhanced academics. Studentreactions for interactive case studies and multi-task skills training were higherfor sensor operators than experienced pilots. Evidence of learning (Level II)was present for all interventions and was statistically significant with theGemaSim intervention and enhanced academics. Positive transfer of learning(Level III) was observed for enhanced academics and the full complement ofinterventions. As the Air Force moves to more inexperienced RPA aircrews,these interventions may be increasingly useful to not only reduce mishap rates,but also to increase mission effectiveness.
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