Numerous studies have been conducted on music education and the benefits that learning an instrument has on the brain. However, there is little research that connects a pilot’s ability to play an instrument to a pilot’s ability to fly an airplane. When learning an instrument, students learn non-musical abilities, such as executive functions, which may correspond with the skills necessary to be a good pilot. The purpose of this study was to find a relationship between learning a musical instrument and pilot performance, specifically related to flight planning, situational awareness, and flight path deviations. This study was a quasi-experimental design studying 20 pilots with musical training and 20 pilots without musical training. Participants were assessed through a series of tests. The results showed no significant difference between the musical group and the nonmusical group. However, participants with 5 or more years of musical experience performed better in flight planning, situational awareness accuracy, and airspeed deviations. Additionally, participants who learned music before the age of 8 performed better on flight planning and airspeed deviations than those who learned after the age of 8. Further research may investigate the relationship between age and length of training on pilot performance.
","abstract_html":"<p>Numerous studies have been conducted on music education and the benefits that learning an instrument has on the brain. However, there is little research that connects a pilot’s ability to play an instrument to a pilot’s ability to fly an airplane. When learning an instrument, students learn non-musical abilities, such as executive functions, which may correspond with the skills necessary to be a good pilot. The purpose of this study was to find a relationship between learning a musical instrument and pilot performance, specifically related to flight planning, situational awareness, and flight path deviations. This study was a quasi-experimental design studying 20 pilots with musical training and 20 pilots without musical training. Participants were assessed through a series of tests. The results showed no significant difference between the musical group and the nonmusical group. However, participants with 5 or more years of musical experience performed better in flight planning, situational awareness accuracy, and airspeed deviations. Additionally, participants who learned music before the age of 8 performed better on flight planning and airspeed deviations than those who learned after the age of 8. Further research may investigate the relationship between age and length of training on pilot performance.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Henry, Andrew P."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Aeronautics","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"College of Aviation","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:28Z","subjects":["musical ability","flight planning","situational awareness","pilots","flight path","Aviation","Management and Operations","Operational Research"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/486","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Henry, Andrew P."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["College of Aviation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Aeronautics"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["musical ability","flight planning","situational awareness","pilots","flight path","Aviation","Management and Operations","Operational Research"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/486"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Numerous studies have been conducted on music education and the benefits that learning an instrument has on the brain. However, there is little research that connects a pilot’s ability to play an instrument to a pilot’s ability to fly an airplane. When learning an instrument, students learn non-musical abilities, such as executive functions, which may correspond with the skills necessary to be a good pilot. The purpose of this study was to find a relationship between learning a musical instrument and pilot performance, specifically related to flight planning, situational awareness, and flight path deviations. This study was a quasi-experimental design studying 20 pilots with musical training and 20 pilots without musical training. Participants were assessed through a series of tests. The results showed no significant difference between the musical group and the nonmusical group. However, participants with 5 or more years of musical experience performed better in flight planning, situational awareness accuracy, and airspeed deviations. Additionally, participants who learned music before the age of 8 performed better on flight planning and airspeed deviations than those who learned after the age of 8. Further research may investigate the relationship between age and length of training on pilot performance.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Effects of Musical Ability on Flight Planning, Situational Awareness, and Flight Path Deviations"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Henry, Andrew P."],"dc:description.abstract":["Numerous studies have been conducted on music education and the benefits that learning an instrument has on the brain. However, there is little research that connects a pilot’s ability to play an instrument to a pilot’s ability to fly an airplane. When learning an instrument, students learn non-musical abilities, such as executive functions, which may correspond with the skills necessary to be a good pilot. The purpose of this study was to find a relationship between learning a musical instrument and pilot performance, specifically related to flight planning, situational awareness, and flight path deviations. This study was a quasi-experimental design studying 20 pilots with musical training and 20 pilots without musical training. Participants were assessed through a series of tests. The results showed no significant difference between the musical group and the nonmusical group. However, participants with 5 or more years of musical experience performed better in flight planning, situational awareness accuracy, and airspeed deviations. Additionally, participants who learned music before the age of 8 performed better on flight planning and airspeed deviations than those who learned after the age of 8. Further research may investigate the relationship between age and length of training on pilot performance.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/486"],"dc:subject":["musical ability","flight planning","situational awareness","pilots","flight path","Aviation","Management and Operations","Operational Research"],"dc:title":["Effects of Musical Ability on Flight Planning, Situational Awareness, and Flight Path Deviations"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["College of Aviation"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Aeronautics"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:26:28Z"}