Emotional Intelligence is a set of emotional, personal and social abilities and competences which distinguish high performance in a variety of occupations. This paper summarises the results of a research project within the Royal Air Force (RAF) Flying Training System to investigate the role of Emotional Intelligence (E.I.) in the occupations of RAF Pilots and Aircrew who have completed their flying training. This is the first study in the UK to explore the role of E.I. In the capabilities of combat ready aircrew. The project was sponsored by Defence System Training Laboratory (Dstl) Aircrew Training Program and carried out between March and June 09. The paper is jointly presented by RAF Human Factors (HF) Centre, HQ Central Flying School (CFS) and Ei World, the company who conducted the assessment and analysis of the data. The survey methodology was entirely questionnaire based, one that could be applied easily to combat ready aircrew within the time/budget constraints of the project and one that could provide access to a large number of aircrew working in complex operational contexts. The research was intended to create ‘base-line’ data upon which some initial conclusions could be drawn about the impact of a person’s E.I. On their performance in flying training. As successful completion of training leads to being employed in a particular flight role, the hierarchy of flight roles was considered a measure of performance. The research sought to explore whether different flight roles had varying levels of emotional intelligence. In reviewing the emotional intelligence across all flight roles (Pilot, Weapon System Operator (WSO), noncommissioned Weapon Systems Operator (WSOp) and across all categories of aircraft (fast jet (FJ), multiengine (ME) and rotary wing (RW), there appears to be a similar set of foundational E.I. Abilities with few statistically significant differences in the emotional intelligence of pilots across flight roles and types of aircraft. As all aircrew who took part in the study showed similar levels of functional competence with regard to emotional intelligence, the next logical step in investigating the use of emotional intelligence as an indicator of future success is to study those who are not selected for aircrew training or who have failed once selected, and those aircrew who are promoted to high rank within the RAF. This study provided a first snapshot of emotional intelligence amongst aircrew in the Royal Air Force.
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