Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2019 Annual Meeting

Abstract

We are submitting only a short abstract. We would prefer not to publish in the proceedings.

This lecture discusses a quantitative methodology for demonstrating skill transfer between simulation and actual operations using a military program as a case study. Pilot Training Next (PTN) is an experimental program to increase the efficiency of Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) through the use of immersive, virtual-reality (VR) flight simulators. Though over a half-century of research and use has demonstrated the value of simulation, and commercial pilot training relies extensively on it, the viability of intensive VR use for military training remained an open question. PTN has provided the first steps to close this case. By substituting VR simulation for sorties, the program was able to graduate 13 out of 15 officers through the T-6 portion of training. This was accomplished in roughly one-third the time and with half as many flights as traditional UPT. Furthermore, analysts were able to model the performance data collected from this first cohort using modern, industry and academic-standard techniques. These models show that simulator performance reliably predicts skill in the actual aircraft, providing defensible evidence of skill transfer even at this intensive level of simulator reliance. They also provide credible evidence of early-warning signals that skills may not be transferring, allowing instructors to intervene and course correct if necessary. PTN-style training has the potential for great cost- and time-savings, and this first cohort provides preliminary evidence that learning quality does not have to be sacrificed to achieve this.