The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to introduce new cockpit simulator cognitive aptitude tests for applicants — devised by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) — that will improve the quality of pilots and test whether applicants are more suited to fly fighter aircraft, transport aircraft or helicopters. This could also help reduce aircraft accidents caused by pilot error.
Defence sources said the new tests would gauge the cognitive and psycho-motor aspects as well as personality of applicants. The computersised cognitive tests will gauge the reaction of applicants to visual and auditory stimulus. This will include reaction-time and capacity for multi-tasking. The psycho-motor aspects (eye, leg, hand co-ordination) will be tested in “cockpits” through cockpit simulation with use of joysticks. The current tests are centred primarily on testing the psycho-motor ability but the new tests would introduce advanced psycho-motor tests as well as cognitive tests.
The Indian Air Force is likely to procure about 80 cockpit simulators along with about 900 cognitive computerised testing nodes. The new aptitude tests are likely to be administered by the IAF at Dehradun, Varanasi and Mysore. Sources said that till now, the trifurcation of pilots onto fighter aircraft, transport and helicopter streams were on the basis of training at the Air Force training academy but these new aptitude tests will indicate the aptitude of applicants towards any of the three streams at the aptitude testing stage itself. “For instance, to fly fighter aircraft, the cognitive aptitude has to be very high,” said a source. The current tests were devised in the 1960s but the IAF and DRDO felt the need for more advanced tests due to the complex and advanced defence aircraft being manufactured now. The new tests have been devised by the New Delhi-based Defence Institute of Psychological Research.