Stress among ab-initio pilots: A model of contributing factors by AHP

Abstract

Human error in the cockpit triggers a chain of incidences, which might lead in aviation to fatal consequences. Indeed, it is the highest contributor to aviation accidents, where stress is correlated positively. Despite the large research base for commercial or military pilots, there is no study related to the workplace stressors of ab-initio pilots. With these considerations in mind, the present study is set out to explore stress factors among ab-initio pilots in the university. For this purpose, stressors were isolated and assessed by interviews with flight instructors. Then, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is applied to weigh those stressors among ab-initio pilots. A hierarchy was built with 3 criteria and 12 sub-criteria. Results showed that the most important criterion in stress among ab-initio pilots is personal factors, followed by organizational factors and environmental factors. Furthermore, the results revealed that the first four stressors within the global ranking were determined as the lack in body of knowledge, meteorological conditions, personality, and facilities and the fleet with the weights of 0.195, 0.154, 0.11 and 0.109. This work is unique due to its coverage of ab-initio pilots, and the results presented here may facilitate improvements in the evaluation of individual ab-initio pilots and the teaching environment for stress contributing factors.