Perceptions of Stress among Collegiate Aviation Flight Students

The purpose of this study was to identify student perceptions of stress caused by stressors unique to flight training. The study population consisted of students currently enrolled and actively flying in Aviation Flight courses. Students were administered a survey consisting of three general parts. The first part asked students to rate stressors that they faced and what effect they believe these have on their flight performance. The second part asked respondents to identify stress coping strategies that they employ. The third part requested basic demographic data. Analysis of the data was performed using SPSS version 17.0. Basic descriptive statistics were run, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations. The study found that students in the flight training program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale perceive checkrides/practical tests as the most stressful. This was followed by financial concerns. Other stressors that ranked as moderately stressful included written exams, flight course workload, checkride scheduling, and time management.