| The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) specifically, to address a small part of evolving aviation technology--the pilot night vision sensor (PNVS) system--and its relationship to flexibility of closure (Cf), and (b) generally, to determine what attributes/experiences are important to training aviators in the AH-64, Attack Helicopter.;The subjects of the investigation included 170 Army aviators entering the AH-64 Qualification Course. The course consisted of three flight training phases which provided the dependent variables for the study: aircraft transition (TRANS), PNVS, and gunnery (GUN).;In order to analyze the relationships among the variables, several statistical designs were employed: ANOVA, regression, MANOVA, and LISREL.;ANOVA indicated that Cf was a significant contributor (.05 level) to PNVS training, however, the proportion of variance accounted for was very small (.035). Other contributors to PNVS success included aviator's age, total flight time (FT), and instructor pilot (IP) qualifications. Those four variables (including Cf) accounted for almost 25% of the variance in PNVS scores. The regression analysis essentially reiterated the significance of the contributors highlighted by the ANOVA, but formatted those variables into a predictive algorithm to support selection and training.;MANOVA indicated that flexibility of closure was a significant contributor, at the.05 level, to the AH-64 flight skills of transition, PNVS, and gunnery training. Other contributors, at the.05 level, to AH-64 flight skills included age and instructor pilot qualifications.;LISREL capitalized on results of the MANOVA by incorporating its significant sources into causal models. Although achieving only limited success in validating the models, LISREL did highlight several relationships. The most intriguing were the interactions of age with other variables; however, none of the models adequately defined those relationships. Further study is warranted. |
