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Understanding Demographic Differences in Undergraduate Pilot Training Attrition

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C O R P O R A T I O N Understanding Demographic Differences in Undergraduate Pilot Training Attrition David Schulker, Douglas Yeung, Kirsten M. Keller, Leslie Adrienne Payne, Lisa Saum-Manning, Kimberly Curry Hall, Stefan Zavislan For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR1936 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-9816-0 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface U.S. Air Force policymakers aim to recruit and maintain a force that reflects the demographic diversity of the nation it serves. Prior research has noted that the Air Force officer population tends to underrepresent female and nonwhite personnel and that this gap grows as rank increases. One factor that contributes to this relationship between demographics and rank is an officer’s occupation: Officers in rated (i.e., flying) occupations tend to have more opportunities at the senior levels of the Air Force, and data show that women and racial and ethnic minorities are not well represented in rated occupations. The goal of this study was to better understand the barriers to becoming pilots that are unique to minority and female candidates. This report examines one aspect of the pipeline for becoming a rated officer by looking at demographic differences in Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) completion. The report presents findings from a series of focus groups conducted with current UPT students and instructors to better understand potential challenges that women and racial and ethnic minorities might face in entering and completing UPT. The report also documents findings from a quantitative examination of demographic differences in attrition rates, reasons for attrition, and an analysis of whether certain individual characteristics (e.g., test scores, prior flying experience) account for differential rates of attrition. Finally, the report concludes with initial recommendations for improving current Air Force policies and practices to try to improve female and racial and ethnic minority representation in pilot career fields. The research reported here was commissioned by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force for Manpower, Personnel and Services and conducted within the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2016 project Improving the Demographic Diversity of Air Force Active Duty Military Members. RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future air, space, and cyber forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Force Modernization and Employment; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. Additional information about PAF is available on our website: http://www.rand.org/paf/ iii This report documents work originally shared with the U.S. Air Force on May 31, 2017. The draft report, issued on October 5, 2016, was reviewed by formal peer reviewers and U.S. Air Force subject-matter experts. iv Contents Preface ...................................................................................................................................... iii Figures ......................................................................................................................................vii Tables ........................................................................................................................................ ix Summary ................................................................................................................................... xi Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. xxv Abbreviations........................................................................................................................ xxvii Chapter One. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Study Approach................................................................................................................................... 2 Policy Changes in 2015 Could Affect the Applicability of These Findings ........................................... 2 Organization of This Report ................................................................................................................ 3 Chapter Two. An Overview of Undergraduate Pilot Training ...................................................... 5 The Pilot Candidate Selection Process ................................................................................................. 5 The Undergraduate Pilot Training Pipeline .......................................................................................... 6 Initial Flight Training ...................................................................................................................... 7 Undergraduate Pilot Training .......................................................................................................... 8 Formal Training Units ..................................................................................................................... 8 Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training ................................................................................................ 9 Process for Managing Student Progress ............................................................................................... 9 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter Three. Potential Barriers to Increasing Minority and Female Representation in Pilot Career Fields ....................................................................................................................... 13 Focus Group Methodology ................................................................................................................ 13 Focus Group Limitations ................................................................................................................... 14 Key Themes ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Motivation to Enter Pilot Training ..................................................................................................... 15 Challenges to Completing Training ................................................................................................... 16 Potential Lack of Confidence Among Female Students .................................................................. 17 Specific Challenges for Women and Minorities ............................................................................. 18 Mentors and Peer Relationships ......................................................................................................... 24 Access to Tools and Instructors ..................................................................................................... 24 Base Resources ............................................................................................................................. 25 Peer Relationships ......................................................................................................................... 25 Mentors and Role Models .............................................................................................................. 28 Female and Minority Affiliation Groups ........................................................................................ 30 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter Four. Demographic Differences in Pilot Training Attrition ........................................... 33 Summary of Attrition Patterns ..........................................................................................................
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