Effects Of In-flight Surprise And Startle On Competency Of Initial Training Pilots

With the increasingly complex operating environment and equipment in the aviation industry,the frequency of surprise and startle in flight is also increasing,which poses a potential and huge threat to flight safety.From the perspective of pilots’ core competency,this thesis aims to explore and analyze the impact and degree of surprise and startle on the initial training pilots’ core competency,and then explore the training methods to deal with surprise and startle in flight,so as to improve flight safety.Using Cessna 172 simulation training equipment,two scenarios of predictable and unexpected engine failure and AHRS failure were designed.24 flight cadets were divided into two groups with 12 people in each group to participate in the experiments of predictable and unexpected failure conditions of the two scenarios.Comparing the differences in heart rate,competency level and flight performance between the predictable and unexpected conditions,the results show that the heart rate of the subjects under the unexpected condition is significantly higher than the heart rate of the predictable condition and the baseline heart rate,and the subjective surprise and startle score of the subjects is also significantly higher than the predictable condition,which proves that the unexpected situation in the experimental setting successfully induced surprise and startle.After the occurrence of surprise and startle,the competency level and flight performance of pilots in initial training decreased significantly.The greatest decline in competency level were situational awareness and information management,communication,problem solving and decision-making,and application of knowledge.After discussion and analysis,the following conclusions are obtained: 1)unexpected special situation will induce cockpit surprise and startle;2)Cockpit surprise and startle will lead to the decline of competency level and flight performance;3)Pilot core competency training based on surprise and startle scenarios is needed.The research has potential application value for formulating the training program to deal with surprise and startle in flight and improving the standard operating procedures to deal with emergency situations.