| Airline accident investigations by the FAA, the NTSB, and research conducted by NASA investigators suggest that "pilot error" has been a critical factor in more than 65% of U.S. airline mishaps. Prior research suggests pilot personality and attitude structure as crucial variables related to flight deck management. Are there common patterns of personality, attitude, and leadership characteristics among airline pilots identified as "exceptional" by their peers and are these patterns the same as those that have been outlined by nonparticipant observers in supervisory, examiner, or research positions?;Peer survey methods were used to identify both captains and first officers deemed exceptional by their peers. Once identified, participants were asked to take the 16PF, the Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire, (EPAQ) the Work and Family Orientation (WOFO), and the Cockpit Management Attitudes Questionnaire (CMAQ). Intercorrelational matrices were constructed; t-tests, 2-way ANOVAs, and Discriminant Analysis were performed.;It was hypothesized that: (1) Significant main effects for position (captain versus co-pilot) and evaluation (elite group versus modal group) would result from two-way Analysis of Variance performed on data from the 16PF, the EPAQ, the WOFO, and the CMAQ. (2) Discriminant analysis would produce a meaningful set of standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients that would successfully assign subjects to elite versus modal group membership. (3) There would be significant correlations between responses on the CMAQ and factors on the 16PF, EPAQ, and WOFO. Factors that produce significant main effects in two-way ANOVAs would be correlated to CMAQ responses in ways that will support previous Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) findings.;Significant relationships were found, especially for the intercorrelational matrix for the 16PF, EPAQ, WOFO, and the 25 CMAQ questions. Discriminant analysis yielded a "hit ratio" of 75.64% using three standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients. The study suggests that, in the absence of cockpit resource management training, pilots may be admired for being warm, sensitive, and easy to get along with, yet fail to meet optimal flight deck management standards. |
