Pilot Candidate Selection Method

In 1993, the US Air Force implemented the Pilot Candidate Selection Method (PCSM) as an additional indicator of pilot training aptitude. PCSM scores have been shown to be related to several pilot training criteria including graduation/elimination, flying grades, class rank, and number of flight hours needed to complete training ( Carretta & Ree, 2003 ). The PCSM composite is still in use today, but the scores that contribute to it have changed. The study reported here examined the predictive validity of the current composite versus several training performance measures for 883 students attending Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT). Results indicated that the PCSM composite remained predictive of flying training performance despite changes in test content and flying training. After correction for multivariate range restriction and dichotomization of the graduation/elimination criterion, the correlation between the PCSM composite and T-6 completion was .53. This is consistent with the value of .46 reported by Carretta and Ree (2003) for an earlier version of the PCSM composite. Its predictiveness can be attributed to the measurement of factors that have consistently shown a relation to flying performance: cognitive ability, aviation job knowledge/experience, and psychomotor ability.