The relationship of physical fitness on pilot candidate selection in the Israel air force

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine whether physical fitness is an important component in the selection process of pilot candidates to the Israel Air Force (IAF) flight school. Methods: There were 223 male pilot candidates who volunteered to participate in the study. All subjects were tested 1 - 12 wk prior to a week-long 'bootcamp' for aerobic power (Astrand bicycle test), anaerobic power (vertical jump test), and percent body fat. In addition, an activity profile was established based on an activity history questionnaire. All fitness measures were correlated to a performance score based on the IAF selection criteria measure for each candidate. Results: Candidates who were accepted to flight school had a higher aerobic capacity, anaerobic power output relative to body weight and a lower percent body fat than candidates who were not successful. Significant correlations were seen between the performance score and aerobic power (r = 0.31), anaerobic power (r = 0.17) and anaerobic power relative to body weight (r = 0.21). Linear regression analysis showed that aerobic power explained 9% of the variance in the performance score, while anaerobic power explained an additional 3%. The results of this study suggest that physical fitness has a positive influence on the success of pilot candidates in gaining admittance to the IAF flight school.