Enhancing Aeronautical Decision Making through Case-Based Reflection

Abstract

Case-based training has become widely used in domains such as medicine and the law. This study investigated the effects of case-based training on decision making in a simulated flight. Participants were given a short case-based training course on visual flight rules (VFR) flight. All participants received a written summary of the legal requirements for VFR as well as a short video. Half the participants read cases where the aircraft encountered deteriorating weather and crashed, whereas the other half read cases where the pilot successfully dealt with the conditions and landed safely. Following each case, half the participants engaged in a reflective thinking exercise and half simply recalled the details of the case. The results showed that participants who engaged in case-based reflection made more appropriate and timely decisions in a simulated flight involving deteriorating weather than participants who simply recalled the material. The outcome of the cases had no effect on performance in the simulation. Implications for flight training are discussed.