Predictive Power of English Testing: Training International Flight Students

Due to the nnpending pilot shortage m Asian countries many prospective students are bemg sent to the United States to receive their mitial flight trammg. The purpose of thts study was to determme if Chmese students entering an American flight program with higher English testing scores are more successful m completing their private pilot certification. A sample size of 141 Chmese students was used for this study. T-test analyses was conducted to determme if students who had higher English scores were more successful m completing private pilot trammg. Significant relationships were found between oral scores, Versant scores and private pilot completion. Multiple regression was used to determme if a relationship existed between a student's English score and his or her academic and flight performance. Significant relationships were found between the student's English screenmg scores, academic grades, and flight performance. It is estimated that over 466,000 pilots will be needed m the next 20 years m order to meet the worldwide demand (Boemg, 2011 ). Part of the need is denved from an agmg workforce that will bnng on massive retirements m the commg years. The other factor is from an 10crease m global fly10g demands that is estimating 30,000 new arrcraft over the next 20 years (Boemg, 2011 ). The largest demand for pilots comes from Chma where they are projected to need 70,600 pilots over the next 20 years (Boemg, 2011). The restncted airspace and the lack of flight tra1010g facilities m Chma make it necessary for airlines m Chma to send the students to mtemational flight schools to meet the mcreasmg pilot demand. The United States has taken a large role m trammg mternational pilots. According to the Federal Aviation Admmtstration (FAA), there has been a 62% mcrease m active pilots with permanent foreign addresses 10 the last five years (FAA, 2011 ). Active commercial pilots accounted for the largest mcrease from 7,114 m 2005 to 15,418 m 2009 (117%). Tuts activity clearly shows that there has been a large mcrease m 10temational pilots trammg 10 the United States; JAAER, Fall 2013 this is m large part due to the demand for pilots 10 the Asian market With the 10crease m trammg comes a unique set of challenges. One of the specific challenges for flight trammg schools is makmg sure English proficiency is at an acceptable level before a student begms flight trammg m the United States. English-based aviation trammg presents umque challenges to 10temational students because of the techmcal vocabulary utilized; and, 10 the specific case of pilots, they have to speak on a radio wherem they lose part of their communication cues (i.e., body language and other non-verbal commumcation capabilities). Learnmg to speak fluent aviation language starts with havmg a fundamental grasp on English and then applying it to a techmcally dense aviation vocabulary. Literature Review The perceived role of culture plays a major part 10 how teenagers transition to adulthood. This lens gives a view of what society expects from their young emergmg adults (Badger, Nelson, & McNamara, 2006; Feng, 1991). Badger, Nelson, and McNamara (2006) found the Chmese culture to be more collectivistic and Amencan culture more