VFR-into-IMC: An Analysis of Two Training Protocols on Weather-Related Posttest Scores

Abstract

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, 264 accidents were identified as continued visual flight rules (VFR) into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), during the past ten years. Approximately 89% of those VFR-into-IMC accidents were fatal, causing hundreds of deaths. VFR-into-IMC has been a major concern for the general aviation community, prompting focused efforts. Research, data analyses, outreach, training, and education are recommended practices to address risks associated with VFR-into-IMC. Researchers of the current study sought to evaluate the cause and effect relationship between two training protocols and weather-related posttest scores. A pretest-posttest experimental design was utilized at two testing locations. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group, an interactive online training group, or an interactive workshop group. An analysis of covariance was used to determine whether there was a significant difference between mean posttest scores among the experimental groups while controlling for pretest scores. The treatments did not appear to significantly increase posttest scores after controlling for pretest scores, at either experiment location. Though the results of this study did not yield anticipated findings, much was learned and potentially helpful to general aviation researchers seeking to mitigate VFR-into-IMC encounters. Recommendations for future research and practices are discussed.

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“…Effective ADM is a vital aspect of risk management in aviation, without which superior results cannot be achieved. A large amount of research has indicated that ADM is trainable (Buch, 1984;Jensen, 1987;Keller, 2015;Li & Harris, 2001;O'Hare et al, 2009). Pilots frequently make critical decisions to mitigate the inherent risks affecting aviation safety.…”

“…Their findings suggested that ADM training can improve pilots' risk management knowledge and skills. Keller et al (2017) Findings showed that the participants who reflected on a set of cases involving pilots flying into adverse weather conditions and ADM concepts made safer and more timely decisions than other participants who only recalled the material. The authors concluded that case reflection during pilots' ADM training could improve aviation safety.…”

“…The FAA (n.d.) recommends deliberate training for pilots to gain and/or improve their ADM knowledge and skills. Previous studies (Keller et al, 2015;Li & Harris, 2008; have indicated that ADM is a skill that can be taught. ADM training could be effective in enhancing the risk management, judgment, and decision-making skills of aviation professionals.…”

The Effect of Experiential Education on Pilots' VFR into IMC Decision-Making

“…Knecht, Ball, and Lenz (2010) determined that video instruction with pilots was not effective, possibily because of the complexity of the material and lack of interaction with the video. Keller, Carney, Xie, Major, and Price (2017) determined that interactive training modules did not significantly increase post-test weather knowledge scores; however, no investigation was done on whether or not the modules improved pilot's situation awareness or decision making. This research will investigate the effect of an ExpEd module (estimating visibility) on the situation awareness and decision-making of general aviation pilots.…”

A Proposed Taxonomy for General Aviation Pilot Weather Education and Training

“…Taxonomy V1.0 can be used to develop traceable pilot education and training protocols for particularly challenging aviation weather problems, such as VFR into IMC. This problem has received a great deal of attention from a number of several researchers (for example, see the literature review in Keller, Carney, Xie, Major, & Price, 2017). There has also been interest in testing different types of simulation tools for determining their efficacy in helping pilots detect the danger and react to it faster (e.g., Whitehurst, Brown, Rantz, Nicolai, & Bradley, 2019).…”