Pilot's IQ

[Chopperboy]

Im just asking this out of interest's sake but I always here pilots have be so Soooo clever and what not and must have superior intellectual ability. So how do you define clever? What are the IQ limitations for anyone aspiring to be a pilot? In my opinion IQ is to an extent irrelevant ( this is an objective opinion 'cos I'm happy with mine). I peronally believe you need good common sense and a stable character. If anyone could throw some change into this hat and give me some feedback from their side I would be greatful. thanx.

[niftyben]

Intelligence is not as important as remembering your training. There are few situations that one won't be exposed to by other pilots before encountering them when PIC. You have been trained over and over, for good reason. (I suppose. After all, it is my 1st time around.)

[Guest pokey]

I have never taken a IQ test nor do i have any idea what mine is. I would be afraid to know too !

 

1) if i got a high score, i dont think i could live up to it

 

2) if i got a low score, dunno if i could accept being "dumb"

 

 

 

Reminds me of this guy/gal couple i seen the other day refueling thier A36 bonanza:

 

Both get out near the pumps, guy goes over to credit card machine, gal grabs fuel hose, ( number 2 hose)

 

Guy puts card thru & instructs gal to start pumping,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they wait,,,,,,, & wait

 

Gal finally ( after about 5 minutes) goes over & turns "on" number 2 pump,,,,,,,,,,,,& goes back to plane to fuel up,,,,,,,,,still nuthing,,, another minute goes by & they BOTH put credit card thru again

 

They finally figure out that the number pump ya push for yer transaction MUST be same number of the hose ya reel out ! DUH !

 

They finally get their fuel onboard, & they have number 1 & 2 fuel hoses ALL tangled up in each other now !

 

No biggie, after about 10 minutes of getting the hoses untangled from each other, they decide to "reel 'em in". ( no one ever does & they werent B4 they started) so as the guy pushes the button for the electric reel mechanism, the gal is "feeding" in the hose to the reel ,,, OPPS !! off the reeel & guy dont notice till its wound 3-4 times around the axel mechanism,,,,,,,, they struggle trying to get it to go in reverse--to no avail.

 

 

IQ ?! what's that?

[West Coaster]

Though I do know what my IQ is... I ain't telling. I'm just smart enough to know you don't care.

 

I would wager a bet though that the engineers have higher IQs on average than pilots. Always exceptions to the rule though!

[Superman]

Pokey

 

I think they use the self-serve fuel pumps to test pilots IQ's.....

 

Can anyone figure out how to get them to pump fuel in less than 30 minutes???

 

.10 cents per gallon more for the fuel truck......no problem....... let me know when your done

 

Now who has the higher IQ?

[Witch]

My I.Q. is 1,000,006.

 

Oh, didn't I tell you? I have a brain the size of a planet.

 

Later.

[flingwing206]

...I'm not an average pilot.

[Chopperboy]

...I'm not an average pilot.

Well I dont really care if you're an average pilot or not. This topic isnt asking anyone for their personal IQ, I'm just asking for a general statistic if anyone knows. e.g. the average IQ for a human being is between 83 and 108. Get the picture?

[67november]

I'm just asking for a general statistic if anyone knows. e.g. the average IQ for a human being is between 83 and 108. Get the picture?

 

well I know mine is a helluva lot higher than that

[flingwing206]

Well I dont really care if you're an average pilot or not. This topic isnt asking anyone for their personal IQ, I'm just asking for a general statistic if anyone knows. e.g. the average IQ for a human being is between 83 and 108. Get the picture?

Heh, heh, and to use an entirely appropriate quote from a fine piece of cinema, "Lighten up, Francias!" You ask a silly question, you get silly answers. Why silly? Because it's unlikely that anyone has applied an IQ test to the population of helicopter pilots, therefore there is no reliable data. I had IQ tests in my childhood, I've taken the IQ tests you can find on the Internet at places like Tickle.com, I've taken the tests that Mensa gives as a come-on. But like I said, I'm not average, either in intelligence nor in piloting skills. In fact, I consider myself to be below-average in piloting skills, a shortfall I attempt to balance by applying all the judgement I've gained by voracious study and the ability to correlate knowledge.

 

A sense of humor helps too.

[delorean]

And it's not like manipulation or stick control has anything to do with IQ......that's all balance.

 

Flying is all about safe judgment and safe decision making.

 

I went to high school with some kids with extremely high IQs (4.0 GPAs with 34s & 35s on the ACT) and they couldn't drive a freakin' car or understand a funny joke. Book smart and no street smarts.....a good balance would have been the key.

 

I trained a few highly intelligent people that bought, read, and UNDERSTOOD every aerodynamics and rotorcraft theory book published. But these guys spent every second of flight overanalyzing every little movement and bump. They wouldn't just sit back and FLY THE AIRCRAFT. They concentrated too much on the A/S, ROD, RRPM, etc. Both took 125 hrs to get their PPL.

 

Now, later on, once you learn how to fly (moreover, manipulate the controls), you can go back and concentrate on small details. But, going into a tight LZ, you eyes better NOT be on the gauges. You do the perfect approach outside of the H/V diagram, but you'll put the helicopter into powerlines and maybe the tail into a fence.

 

It all about awareness & experience that makes a good pilot--you know how fast you're going by looking at the ground, knowing you RRPM by sound, you know how much torque or MP your pulling by the height of the collective.

 

It's a balance of being a good "stick", understanding the aerodynamic limitations, and being able to make good decisions under pressure that turns one into a SAFE PILOT.

 

I don't think IQ has anything to do with it........I would say that you at least have to have at least an "average" IQ to pass the knowledge and practical tests. However, the FAA knowledge test are only written at an 8th grade level. This is part of the reason that some of the questions seem so ambiguous (because they can't use big words to articulate their question.)

[skier]

IQ is a hard thing to measure. I believe the main test used is only accurate until you turn 18 because of the way it is scored. As a result only kids IQs are really measured and if you were to measure an adults IQ it would be lower than that of a child. I could be wrong about this, but it's what I remember from psych this year.

[joker]

Im just asking this out of interest's sake but I always here pilots have be so Soooo clever and what not and must have superior intellectual ability. So how do you define clever? What are the IQ limitations for anyone aspiring to be a pilot? In my opinion IQ is to an extent irrelevant ( this is an objective opinion 'cos I'm happy with mine). I peronally believe you need good common sense and a stable character. If anyone could throw some change into this hat and give me some feedback from their side I would be greatful. thanx.

 

I define clever (at least at a minimum level) as being able to spell and punctuate a short letter correctly. This to me defines a basic level of literacy, which in turn defines a basic level of education. It also defines a basic level of 'attention to detail' in one's own actions. So, that's why I always re-read and edit my posts....(hint intended)!!!

 

As for IQ, well that is such a subjective test that it is not really useful as a means of measure. However, if I was to take a stab at a number, then I would suggest anywhere in or above the third quartile (IQ of 90 or above). As has been suggested before, you don't need a high IQ to fly an aircraft. Any monkey can do it. That is down to your motor coordination. However, you do need a basic intelligence to study for the many exams, and understand aviation to the extent required by authorities and employers though. I would suggest therefore that most pilots will have an IQ above 100.

 

Joker

[fry]

I don't think IQ has anything to do with it........I would say that you at least have to have at least an "average" IQ to pass the knowledge and practical tests. However, the FAA knowledge test are only written at an 8th grade level.

 

One definition of Intelligence Quotient is that it is the ratio between a person's mental age and actual chronological age. Since the FAA's knowledge tests are written at an eight grade level, does that mean that pilots older than thirteen years have a below average intelligence?

[67november]

And Fry slams the pilot world

[Guest rookie101]

And Fry slams the pilot world

 

More like a kick in the nuts

[Hawkdriver]

Im so smart I scare myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Has anyone seen my keys, I cant find them?

[Worldcrime]

Horn on, lever down. Maintain forward motion on approach. Descent rate in check. Don't land in hot tar. Check fuel. My IQ varies from day to day. Should those wheels be off?

[Rob Lyman]

I am so smart.

I am so smart.

S-M-R-T

S-M-R-T

Doh!

 

Seriously, the navy flight school goes on and on, especially early on in training, about how you are in the top 10% just to make it into flight school. I think something like only 7% of the US population has a pilot's license. Also, if you research "IQ" on the internet you can find some interesting discussion on statistical distributions of IQs in the general population and what that means about individual capabilities within different IQ intervals. Personally, it I think a lot of it reads like a bunch of elitist crap, but it does indicate that it takes better than average skills to make it in most "professional" level careers.

[fry]

...but it does indicate that it takes better than average skills to make it in most "professional" level careers.

 

"Average"...an overused and misapplied concept. E.g., a common belief among automobile drivers...one that cuts across gender, nationality and socio-economic situation...is that we are each ABOVE AVERAGE drivers. But of course that is, by definition, impossible.

 

"Average" is a generally meaningless measure without knowing the standard deviation in the sample population. In the case of IQ tests the population falls withing a normal curve, the average is 100 and the standard deviation is 15. So, 95% of the population has a "normal" IQ score of between 70 and 130. (Scores below around 50 are subdivided into "moron", "imbicile" and "idiot"...so in order to be accurate you should confirm their score before you call someone one of these.) IQ tests are generally only useful for identifying learning disabilities.

 

Some interesting studies have found that a person's perception of their intelligence has a lot of impact on their behavior. Researchers have found that people generally believe either that intelligence is a fixed trait or that it is malleable and can be developed. The folks who believe that intelligence is fixed and who are told they have a higher than "average" amount of this innate capability tend to define themselves with regards to their "intelligence".

 

But...the research has also found that there's a downside to an individual believing he has a high intelligence. These folks tend toward NOT engaging in activities where the outcome might disrupt their perception of their intelligence. They stay away from tackling learning experiences rather than risk appearing less intelligent. They care so much about looking smart that they act dumb. It's also been found that these people tend not to seek out or listen to outside advice. And, if placed in a tough situation where their image of their intelligence is threatened they lie rather than take corrective action or admit they were wrong. CEOs and pilots who become politicians fall into this group.

 

Bottomline: Effort trumps intelligence. The harder ya work the better ya get.

[Huey]

Uhhh, huhhh, hhhuh what was the question Beavis?

[Chopperboy]

Heh, heh, and to use an entirely appropriate quote from a fine piece of cinema, "Lighten up, Francias!" You ask a silly question, you get silly answers. Why silly? Because it's unlikely that anyone has applied an IQ test to the population of helicopter pilots, therefore there is no reliable data. I had IQ tests in my childhood, I've taken the IQ tests you can find on the Internet at places like Tickle.com, I've taken the tests that Mensa gives as a come-on. But like I said, I'm not average, either in intelligence nor in piloting skills. In fact, I consider myself to be below-average in piloting skills, a shortfall I attempt to balance by applying all the judgement I've gained by voracious study and the ability to correlate knowledge.

 

A sense of humor helps too.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

 

I define clever (at least at a minimum level) as being able to spell and punctuate a short letter correctly. This to me defines a basic level of literacy, which in turn defines a basic level of education. It also defines a basic level of 'attention to detail' in one's own actions. So, that's why I always re-read and edit my posts....(hint intended)!!!

 

As for IQ, well that is such a subjective test that it is not really useful as a means of measure. However, if I was to take a stab at a number, then I would suggest anywhere in or above the third quartile (IQ of 90 or above). As has been suggested before, you don't need a high IQ to fly an aircraft. Any monkey can do it. That is down to your motor coordination. However, you do need a basic intelligence to study for the many exams, and understand aviation to the extent required by authorities and employers though. I would suggest therefore that most pilots will have an IQ above 100.

 

Joker

 

Thankyou for answering the question.