A psychometric approach to the development of a multidimensional scale to assess aircraft handling qualities

This article describes the development of a multidimensional scale for the assessment of aircraft handling qualities using psychometric principles. A sample of 141 test pilots completed a structured assessment of their aircraft's handling qualities in 7 common flight maneuvers. From a series of confirmatory factor analyses, 5 stable dimensions of aircraft handling qualities were elicited. Further multiple regressions with these 5 dimensions as predictor variables indicated a highly significant relation with Cooper-Harper ratings, however, the significant predictors varied with the nature of the flight task. To conclude, a brief description of a prototype multidimensional handling qualities rating scale based on these results is provided.