The relationship between higher education curricular variables and human flight performance in a preliminary flying training program

The ability of the United States Air Force (USAF) to sustain a high level of operational ability and readiness is dependent on the proficiency and expertise of its pilots. Recruitment, education, training, and retention of its pilot force are crucial factors in the USAF's attainment of its operational mission: defense of this nation and its allies. Failure of a student pilot during a training program does not only represent a loss of costly training expenditures to the American public, but often consists of loss of human life, aircraft, and property. This research focused on the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps' (AFROTC) selection method for student pilots for the light aircraft training (LATR) program. The LATR program is an intense 16 day flight training program that precedes the Air Force's undergraduate pilot training (UPT) program. The study subjects were 265 AFROTC cadets in the LATR program. A variety of independent variables from each subject's higher education curricular background as well as results of preselection tests, participation in varsity athletics, prior flying experience and gender were evaluated against subsequent performance in LATR. Performance was measured by a quantitative performance score developed by this researcher based on 28 graded training factors as well as overall pass or fail of the LATR program. Study results showed participation in university varsity athletics was very significantly and positively related to performance in the LATR program, followed by prior flying experience and to a very slight degree portions of the Air Force Officers Qualifying Test. Not significantly related to success in the LATR program were independent variables such as grade point average, scholastic aptitude test scores, academic major, gender and the AFROTC selection and ranking system.

Charles Perry and Nathaniel Reed in Mesa Verde Cave

Charles Perry and Nathaniel Reed in Mesa Verde cave, Arizona. Charles Edward Perry (Chuck), 1937-1999, was the founding president of Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He grew up in Logan County, West Virginia and graduated from Bowling Green State University. He married Betty Laird in 1961. In 1969, at the age of 32, Perry was the youngest president of any university in the nation. The name of the university reflects Perry’s desire for a title that would not limit the scope of the institution and would support his vision of having close ties to Latin America. Perry and a founding corps opened FIU to 5,667 students in 1972 with only one large building housing six different schools. Perry left the office of President of FIU in 1976 when the student body had grown to 10,000 students and the university had six buildings, offered 134 different degrees and was fully accredited. Charles Perry died on August 30, 1999 at his home in Rockwall, Texas. He is buried on the FIU campus in front of the Graham Center entrance. Reed, Nathaniel P. (Nathaniel Pryor), 1933- serves on the Board of the National Geographic Society, the Everglades Foundation where he is Vice Chairman, and the Hope Rural School for migrant children. He received a B.A. from Trinity College in Connecticut. He was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and was Assistant Secretary of the Interior for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the U.S. Parks Service. He has also served on the boards of the National Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the National Parks and Conservation Association, and the American Rivers. He is a board member emeriti of the Natural Resources Defense Council and 1000 Friends of Florida. He served on various environmental organization and committees under seven different governors in the state of Florida including as Chairman of the Commission on Florida’s Environmental Future. In 1972 he received the Cornelius Amory Pugsley National Medal Award.