Common practices of psychological selection of aviation personnel in Europe.

Abstract

Introduction. The EAAP Working Group on Psychological Selection has issued a report on best practices in the selection of aviation personnel in 2022. All EAAP members and partners who are currently involved in selection work were invited to give their inputs via an online survey distributed in 2020. Research question. The purpose of this survey was to investigate the current practices in selection of aviation personnel primarily in Europe. Method. A total of N=83 participants responded to this survey, which equals a response rate of 16 to 20%. Results. The results will be presented in two ways: Firstly, it will be shown how selection procedures are organized in general with commonly used selection methods and immersive technologies also presented. Secondly, comparative frequency charts of different selection criteria will be shown for civilian pilots, military pilots, ATCOs and cabin crews. Discussion. The findings are discussed with reference to previous industry surveys to infer the current state of scientific rigour in aviation selection. Conclusion. Opportunities for growth and potential shortcomings will be discussed.