Cognitive skill correlates of the automated pilot selection system

Job sample approaches are amongst the best predictors for performance of ab initio pilots in flight school. The Royal Netherlands Air Force uses a simulator based assessment procedure to select pilot students, which is a relatively expensive method compared to general skill and ability tests. Therefore, it is investigated if their skill and ability measures can predict performance in a simulated flight task. Limited predictive validities were found for measures of fluid intelligence and perceptual speed. No incremental validity was found for additional spatial tests and contradictory results were found for measures of mathematical ability. The results lead to the recommendation to include more ecologically valid general ability tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract