Transfer of Training from a Radar Intercept Part-Task Trainer to an F-16 FlightSimulator

摘要

Fifty student pilots participated in an experiment to determine the trainingeffectiveness of an experimental air intercept part-task trainer. F-16 student pilots with no prior knowledge of air intercepts were randomly assigned as subjects either to an experimental group or to a control group. Experimental subjects (n=25) learned to perform air intercept basic skills in the Air Intercept Trainer (AIT), followed by training on intercepts in an F-16 Operational Flight Trainer (OFT). Control group subjects (n=25) received only standard academic training on air intercepts prior to training in the OFT. Instructors, who were not informed of the assignment of subjects to groups during the experiment, rated student performance during OFT training using a 5-point scale (0-4) in five skill categories: (a) radar use, (b) aircraft control, (c) intercept geometry, (d) situational awareness, and (e) overall execution of intercepts. The number of trial intercepts required by each student to achieve a proficiency rating of 3 (overall execution of intercepts) was recorded. Mean composite ratings of the AIT-trained subjects were found to be higher than those of non-AIT-trained subjects in all five skill categories. These differences were statistically significant for all but the first category (radar use). The percentage of AIT-trained subjects who achieved Level 3 proficiency ratings on basic and advanced intercepts in the OFT was significantly higher than that non-AIT-trained subjects on three out of four types of intercepts in the OFT was significantly higher than that for non-AIT-trained subjects on three out of four types of intercepts. These findings provide evidence that the AIT can improve training of basic intercepts compared to standard syllabus procedures a