Above Real-Time Training Applied to Air Combat Skills.

Abstract : Above real-time training (ARTT) is an instructional strategy in which events in a training simulator occur faster than normal. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate applications of ARTT for training air combat skills and emergency procedures. Two of these experiments were conducted with experienced Air Force F-16 pilots who practiced air-to-air radar skills, air intercepts, and emergency procedures using conventional, real-time simulation or ARTT at 1.5 times real time. The pilots trained using ARTT received the same number of training trials but less clock time in the simulator as pilots trained in real time. All pilots were then tested in real time. Pilots trained using ARTT performed radar-skills tasks as well as pilots trained in real time. Pilots trained using ARTT performed emergency procedures tasks more quickly than pilots trained in real time. In a third experiment, student F-16 pilots practiced using air-to-air radar in real time or ARTT. Students trained using ARTT received more training trials in approximately the same amount of clock time as the students trained in real time. ARTT students performed better on a real-time test than students trained in real time. It is concluded that for selected tasks ARTT is more time efficient than conventional, real-time simulation because it allows more events to be experienced within a given period of training time. ARTT also supported better real-time test performance under some conditions.