Aerobatic Flight Training for U.S. Commercial Pilot Applicants: Should it be Mandatory?

Abstract

Commercial pilot applicants in the U.S. are not required to have any aerobatic training. Sometimes airplanes flown by these pilots encounter weather, turbulence, or other factors that can cause loss of control. When an aircraft is out of control and in an extreme unusual attitude, the flight controls respond differently. If the pilot is not familiar with aerobatics, an accident can result. Since pilots have a vested interest in improving the safety of the aviation industry, the hypothesis was that pilot attitudes would be favorable towards mandatory aerobatic training for the issuance of a commercial pilot certificate. Other industry professionals and literature review support the notion that aerobatic training would (or does) improve aviation safety. A survey designed to measure quantitative and qualitative attitudinal data on a 4-item forcedresponse Likert scale was used to measure the correlation of pilots’ aerobatic experience with their confidence levels. Also measured were open-response items addressing comments or concerns voiced by the subjects. There was significant correlation of the pilots’ aerobatic experience level to increased
confidence levels. Also, the participants all indicated that aerobatic training would or has made them safer pilots. Thus, the findings support the hypothesis that pilots would be in favor of mandatory aerobatic training for the issuance of a US commercial pilot’s license.