Personality Types of Student Pilots Admitted to the Aviation Flight Program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a statistically significant common personality type or common combinations of type within the personality profiles among 83 students who enrolled in the Aviation Flight Department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI) was the instrument used to determine student’s personality types. Basic information including age, sex, high school grade point average and ACT scores were also collected. Data collected were analyzed using a chi-square (÷²) distribution to determine whether there was a statistical significant difference between the MBTI types of the Aviation Flight student population and the general population. The study revealed several personality types and personality type combinations among the students to have a statistical departure from the general population implying that there are personality types or combinations of type of students interested in becoming a professional pilot.