Pilot Gain and the Workload Buildup Flight Test Technique

This thesis covers the topic of pilot gain in flight test based on simulator tests in Germany and flight tests with the NF-16D “VISTA” at the USAF test pilot school. Potential pilot gain measures are introduced and validated based on a dedicated approach which can be easily adapted to different types of tasks. In a second section, a potential root cause for differences in natural pilot gain is evaluated and discussed. Based on the cortical arousal theory, a correlation between the pilot’s personality trait of “extraversion” and pilot gain was assumed and supported by simulator and personality tests. Finally, the workload buildup flight test technique is investigated as a potential means to increase pilot gain in flight test. The results of this thesis confirm that this technique is able to gradually increase pilot gain; however, the resulting pilot gain is often not higher than for an intentional pilot gain increase on command