Exploring Immersive Technology in Flight Training: Trainee Pilots’ Perceptions of Learning and Behavioural Outcomes

Abstract

The primary aim of this research was to examine the effectiveness of immersive technology on trainee pilots’ learning and behavioural outcomes. The first phase of the research included building a survey to measure trainees’ learning and behavioural outcomes. An initial sample of fifteen subject-matter experts assisted in creating the final survey. The second phase of the research involved distributing the survey to trainee pilots and consisted of twenty-seven participants. Spearman’s Rank Correlation and Kendall’s tau-b Correlation were run on the data. A Regularized Exploratory Factor Analysis (REFA) method was used to ensure the constructed survey measured trainee pilots’ perceptions of their learning and behavioural outcomes. The main results showed a significant relationship between the use of immersive flight simulation training and trainee pilots’ learning and behavioural outcomes. On the other hand, age, level of experience as a pilot, total flying time, and total flying time in modern flight decks had no significant association with trainee pilots’ perceptions of their learning and behavioural outcomes. The small sample size affected the findings of the research and should be considered a limitation of the study. The findings of the research have implications for the design of flight simulations.