Essential Attributes for Successful Military Student Pilots: A Focus Group Study

This study aimed to identify the essential attributes for military student pilots (MSPs), examine how these have changed over the past decade, and explore whether these traits are innate or trainable. Nine focus groups were conducted with subject matter experts (SMEs) from the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force (RNLASF), including experienced pilots, behavioral experts, and MSPs. Seven categories of attributes were identified: adaptiveness, cognition, cooperation, effort, forward leaning, mental toughness, and trainability. Among these, cognition, effort, and trainability were largely perceived as innate, while others – such as adaptiveness and cooperation – may be enhanced through training. These findings provide a foundation for updating pilot selection and training strategies in military aviation.