Transfer and Quasi-Transfer Effects of Scene Detail and Visual Augmentation in Landing Training

Beginning flight students were taught landings in a flight simulator with a visual landing display to examine the effects of scene detail, visual augmented guidance, and number of landing training trials. Some students were trained in a control condition with no visual display. Transfer was assessed in the airplane in relation to the amount of landing training required prior to release for solo. Training with a low-detail scene was better for transfer than was training with a moderate-detail scene. An interaction between scene detail and augmented guidance showed that augmented guidance enhanced transfer when used in training with a low-detail scene but degraded transfer when used in training with a moderate-detail scene. The data also show that both visual and nonvisual training in the simulator build skills that enhance transfer.