Project Abstract:

Pilot Instructor Rater Training

• Industry: Aviation
• Business Need: Team Training
• Client: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

AIR was contracted by the NASA-Ames Research Center to identify, develop, and test new strategies for training pilot instructors to assess the performance of aircrews during end-of-training evaluation scenarios (i.e., rater training). The work performed under this contract supports the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Advanced Qualification Program (AQP). AQP requires commercial aircrews to be trained and evaluated on both their technical flying skills and teamwork skills prior to being certified to fly. Because of its direct implications for pilot instructor training under AQP, this work was conducted at a major US airline. In total, this project consisted of four primary tasks.

First, we conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on rater training. The purpose of the literature review was to identify strategies that should be effective for training pilot instructors to accurately assess aircrew performance. Second, we developed a new approach for training pilot instructors. This approach incorporated rater-training practices from the literature review that were found to be most effective at improving rater accuracy.

Unfortunately, we were unable to test the effectiveness of this training program, because of the economic downturn in the airline industry. Nevertheless, we developed a series of detailed guidelines – that were based on the results of the literature review and interviews with pilot trainers – on how to develop and conduct effective rater training programs. These guidelines were summarized in a NASA technical report, as well as a special issue of the International Journal of Aviation Psychology.