Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

City

Dayton

Abstract

Pilots’ performance depends on a multitude of factors. Components like the physical strength of the pilot, his psychology, any special flight conditions are important1, but not the only ones. We, also, need to look at the social and cultural factors which are specific to an individual pilot and relate to every nation’s customs and traditions, whether religious or of a social nature. These components come into play when orders related to war operations have to be executed. This is the case as, beyond the psychology unique to military officers or soldiers in the battlefield, they act according to their beliefs, for example about whether the war is just or not or whether the order they are about to execute is unjust or illegal (e.g. the bombing of non-military targets)2. These traditions influence to a high degree the psychology of pilots and determine to a high extent their reactions and effectiveness. In this context, this paper examines and analyses the different factors that influence how pilots react under battle conditions. We start by briefly presenting the factors we are going to consider. This is followed by the presentation of the questionnaire we will be using for the research – this will be distributed to a significantly large sample of the Hellenic Air Force officers and will be the backbone of the analysis. Finally, we will be presenting the tabulated results and conclude as to whether the cultural background of the officers plays a role in the making of their decisions.

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