Self-Perceived Problems of Student Pilots Eliminated from Undergraduate Pilot Training

The report describes how students eliminated from undergraduate pilot training (UPT) perceived the circumstances leading to their elimination. Personal interviews were held with 117 students eliminated from UPT. The data obtained were organized on the basis of the official cause of elimination. The frequencies of problems or factors perceived as contributing to elimination were categorized according to the five most prevalent causes of UPT attrition: self-initiated elimination, manifestation of apprehension, flying deficiency, medical deficiency, and academic deficiency. Information from the study is presented in a series of 10 tables following the interview format. Similarities and differences in student perception of problems as a function of cause of elimination are noted and briefly discussed. The contents of the tables provide suggestions which may be evaluated on their merits in considering prospective modification of training procedures. It was concluded that eliminated students' perceptions of training problem areas can provide useful information for training program management and can suggest areas for training research. The elimination interview format is appended. (Author/EC)