Prevalence of Invulnerability in Collegiate Part 141 Flight Students

Abstract

Nearly every flight training program focuses on promoting good habits for aeronautical decision making. Some of the factors that influence aeronautical decision making are hazardous attitudes. The five hazardous attitudes are thought patterns that put pilots at risk of being involved in an accident. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of one hazardous attitude, invulnerability, in Collegiate Part 141 flight students. Participants were recruited from a collegiate flight program at a university in Florida. Invulnerability is particularly important to study because a pilot thinking that he/she is immune from being in an accident could lead to a dangerous situation. The authors find this particular attitude important to study in college students because that segment of the population is still undergoing brain development. The study employed an ex-post facto design where participants were administered a 30-question survey consisting of Hunter's (2005)’s New Hazardous Attitudes Scale. The study was administered to students during their private, instrument, commercial, and flight instructor ground school courses respectively. The findings of this study will help determine how changes in knowledge level affected students’ levels of invulnerability. Data collection is ongoing, and the results will be ready by early December. The study’s data will be analyzed via a between-subjects one-way ANOVA.

Authors

• Nakushian, Andrew Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Kapar, Aayush Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Ryan, Kenley Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Mehta, Rian, Ph.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Wheeler, Brooke, Ph.D. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

• hazardous attitudes
• collegiate pilots
• invulnerability
• Social and Behavioral Sciences