Special flight situations refer to a series of special situations that occur during a flight. Improper handling of special flight situations can result in serious consequences such as air crashes1. For example, on March 8, 2014, MH370 went missing; on March 21, 2022, MU5735 crashed; and Chengdu J-7/F-7 Fighter crashed2–4 on June 9, 2022. Therefore, the identification of special situations during flight in a timely manner is urgently needed to properly handle them. Many studies have been undertaken by numerous researchers on mechanical control systems and other aspects of flight. For example, Chen et al. constructed the STAMPHFACS analysis framework to identify risk factors for special events that negatively impact flight safety, while Liu et al. constructed a risk profile model for bird strikes in airports through the Artificial Neural Network (ANN). Otherwise, Pan et al. applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze safety risks and action mechanisms in the flight area of civil airports, and Yan et al. applied the Interpretation Structure Model (ISM) to explore and analyze risk factors that influence the safety of regional control operations5–8. Most of these analyses and investigations are applicable to engineering and control systems. However, not many analyses have examined psychological factors of pilots while flying, and not many analyses and constructions of psychological models for special flight situations have been undertaken. Therefore, this study introduces self-efficacy, resilience and perseverance into the model of factors that potentially influence an individual’s special situation handling capability and explores the influence of an individual’s psychological make-up on his/her capability of handling special situations.
1.1 Relations between self-efficacy and special situation handling capability
Special situations refer to all kinds of special cases that occur during a flight. The sound capability of handling special situations are a prerequisite for ensuring flight safety. In 1977, Albert Bandura put forward the definition of self-efficacy, which refers to an individual’s belief of achieving behaviors and goals in a special field9. An individual with high self-efficacy will face difficult situations with a positive attitude, make full use of his abilities to achieve a goal, and promote the development of competence10–11. When handling special situations, a pilot needs to be able to identify problems in a timely manner, accurately judge the situation, and correctly handle them. The capability to manage special situations calmly requires not only excellent flight skills, but also sound psychological well-being and self-efficacy. One should be confident in his/her decision-making and handling capability to ensure flight safety12–13.
1.2 The mediating effect of resilience between self-efficacy and special situation handling capability
Resilience, an individual’s instinctive response based on the defense-response mechanism, can be defined as an individual’s ability to quickly mobilize his/her capabilities and resources to make adjustments when facing a major crisis, and to cope with and successfully overcome difficulties14. Masten et al. put forward the indirect factor model of resilience, and according to this model, high self-efficacy, as a protective factor, first plays a positive role in resilience, and resilience, an intermediary factor, plays a positive role in the developmental outcome of special situation handling capability. Low self-efficacy, as a risk factor, will eventually enable an individual to attain sound capability of handling special situations due to the retardation effect of resilience15.
1.3 The moderating role of perseverance between self-efficacy and resilience
Besides the direct and indirect effects of self-efficacy and resilience on special situation handling, perseverance may also play a moderating role between self-efficacy and resilience, thus influencing an individual’s capability of handling special situations. Duckworth et al. put forward the concept of perseverance in 2007, which refers to the persistence and the will to work diligently and unremittingly towards a goal16. Perseverance involves two aspects: one is persistence in the face of difficulties, and the other is enthusiasm for struggle. Accordingly, we assume that an individual with high perseverance is more capable of resisting adversity than an individual with low perseverance17. Based on the 3C (commitment, control and challenge) structure of perseverance, an individual with strong perseverance can bring more positive meaning to life, take more active actions to solve a crisis, and regard change as a means of growth18. Therefore, perseverance may play a moderating role between an individual’s self-efficacy and resilience through the above three dimensions(commitment/control/challenge).