Modernizing Pilot Selection Methods & Technologies at the United States Air Force Academy

The United States military is suffering from a pilot shortage and lack of diversity in its corps. Thus, selecting capable pilots from the widest range of talent is a priority for the United States Air Force (USAF). As part of this goal, our project aimed to modernize the Test of Basic Aviation Skills (TBAS) - one of the USAF's three primary methods of assessing an individual's potential for successfully completing pilot training - in order to better predict pilot performance and reduce unnecessary demographic subgroup differences. A prototype system and initial experiment was developed to this end. After obtaining requirements, conducting a system analysis, and a review of previous research, we designed the Pilot Selection and Assessment for Future Flight (PSAFF) system as a capability to conduct experiments on novel tests, methods, and technologies that have potential in a modernized version of the TBAS. Our proof-of-concept experiment examined two types of controls to perform spatial tasks in PSAFF taking into account gender, gaming, usability, and face validity. We found no performance differences in these controls. However, variance between individuals was elicited based on performance and results show the two devices hold promise for replacing outdated equipment and encourages future work to explore and compare input devices with larger sample sizes. The analysis will enable future design iterations and studies.