ABSTRACT

Objective

The research objective of the current study was to examine and compare the non-technical skills utilized by search and rescue and offshore transport helicopter pilots.

Background

Non-technical skills encompass the interpersonal and cognitive skills necessary for safe and efficient team performance in high-risk environments. There is a lack of research investigating non-technical skill use during helicopter flight or assessing differences in skills according to mission parameters.

Method

The current study comprised 28 semi-structured qualitative interviews based upon the critical incident technique (16 offshore transport pilots, 12 search and rescue pilots). Interviews were thematically coded to identify, and compare, non-technical skills.

Results

All key non-technical skills were reported across both pilot groups. Differences were identified at the element level of skills across the groups (e.g., while both groups reported utilizing situational awareness, elemental sub-components were based upon different attentional factors). A category for cognitive readiness was identified specific to search and rescue—this category encapsulated the elements necessary for a swift, effective response to emergencies.

Conclusion

The results indicate helicopter pilots’ non-technical skills vary according to mission parameters, suggesting specific flight goals require different nuances of non-technical skills for mission achievement. We suggest that non-technical skills training should be tailored to the mission focus of helicopter pilots in order to further error mitigation strategies, enrich training relevance, and enhance effectiveness.

中文翻译：

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全部与任务有关吗？比较海上运输和搜索救援直升机飞行员的非技术技能

摘要

目的

当前研究的研究目标是检查和比较搜索和救援以及海上运输直升机飞行员使用的非技术技能。

背景

非技术技能包括在高风险环境中安全高效地团队表现所必需的人际交往和认知技能。缺乏调查直升机飞行过程中非技术技能使用或根据任务参数评估技能差异的研究。

方法

当前的研究包括基于关键事件技术的28个半结构化定性访谈（16名海上运输飞行员，12名搜索和救援飞行员）。对访谈进行了主题编码，以识别和比较非技术技能。

结果

两个试点小组都报告了所有关键的非技术技能。在各组的技能要素水平上发现了差异（例如，虽然两组均报告利用情境意识，但要素子要素均基于不同的注意因素）。确定了针对搜索和救援的认知准备就绪类别，该类别包含了快速有效地应对紧急情况所必需的要素。

结论

结果表明，直升机飞行员的非技术技能会根据任务参数而有所不同，这表明特定的飞行目标需要不同的非技术技能细微差别才能实现任务。我们建议，应针对直升机飞行员的任务重点定制非技术技能培训，以进一步降低错误缓解策略，丰富培训相关性并提高有效性。