Understanding how pilots make weather-related decisions

The decision-making strategies of pilots were examined using a linear modeling technique. Three hundred twenty-six American, 104 Norwegian, and 51 Australian pilots completed a scenario-based judgment task in which they assigned a comfort rating to each of 27 weather scenarios for each of three routes. These data were then used to develop individual regression equations, for each pilot, that described the information combination process used to assign the comfort ratings. The results demonstrate the use of a consistent weather decision model among pilots in these diverse groups. Intercorrelations of mean comfort levels for the 27 scenarios were very high, and each group demonstrated a similar pattern of information use. For each group, the compensatory models of information utilization were favored over noncompensatory models. The results suggest that pilots share a common model for the use of weather information and that training interventions may be equally effective across countries