Flight instructor-student pilot learning style similarity and its effect on flight training efficiency

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the learning style similarity of student pilots and their flight instructors, and the amount of time it takes to fly solo in the aircraft for the first time and also to pass the private pilot practical (flying) examination, also called the "checkride." Oklahoma State University undergraduate college aviation students (n = 35) who had taken all their flight instruction with only one flight instructor and at one location were used. Each student pilot-flight instructor dyad was tested with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to determine their MBTI "types". Each pilot also filled out a questionnaire inquiring about his or her flying experience. MBTI type similarity of the student and his or her instructor was compared with time required to reach the first solo flight and the total flying time required for the student pilot to successfully complete the private pilot practical examination.;Findings and conclusions. The results of this study did not support the hypothesis: perceptive or learning style similarity was not significantly related to flight training efficiency on any scale of the learning style inventory administered to the research population. The average flying time for the research population to fly solo for the first time was slightly lower than a similar university-based pilot population. The average flying time for the research population to acquire the private pilot's license was substantially lower than the national average, and slightly lower than a similar university-based pilot population. Female pilots in this study had a significantly narrower range of flight time than did male pilots to reach the first solo flight and to acquire the private pilot's license.