The effect of the Pre-Flight Introduction training (PFI) on gaze behavior and flight performance of student pilots

Abstract

In aviation, systematic visual scan patterns of cockpit instruments appear to enhance flight performance (i.e., Allsop & Gray, 2014 and Schriver et al., 2008). This has been the reason for the CAE aviation academy Brussels to set-up a 3-day Pre-flight introduction (PFI) training during which specific scan patterns were taught that allow students to efficiently read cockpit instruments. To assess the impact of the PFI on gaze behavior, students (n=18) completed a flying task in a simulator before and after training. A control group (n = 15) included students that only completed the flying task during a pre- and post-session without any training intervention. To assess gaze behavior, participants wore Tobii Pro Glasses 2 eye-trackers (Tobii Technology AB, Sweden). As expected, pilot students in the trained group performed better (p = .04) on the flying task compared to the control group during the post-session. With respect to eye-movements, only the number of dwells changed as effect of training, resulting in a decreased number of dwells (p = .02) in the trained group (pre: 10541.94 ±4578.96; post: 8965.12 ±3612.75) and an increased number of dwells in the control group (pre: 8299.43 ±3831.52; post: 10596.43 ±3160.99). Interestingly, the control group also showed more scanning patterns (p = .02) in total during the post-session (33.93 ±18.08), suggesting a more chaotic scanning compared to the trained group (19.39±15.81). To conclude, the PFI impacts students’ gaze behavior probably by pointing their gaze towards critical instruments. As a result, the students in the PFI group developed better insights into the interactions between instruments and the importance of certain instruments for maneuvers. This probably signifies a more organized scanning of cockpit instruments.