Analysis of Naval Flight Officer selection, assignment, and flight school completion among US Naval Academy Graduates

Abstract

There are three models analyzed in this study. The first two models attempt to determine whether academic rank, military rank, and major are predictive of NFO service selection and NFO assignment. The goal of the third model, which predicts NFO completion, is to determine whether academic and military grades, major, personality, gender, and race predict completion of NFO flight training. Logistic regression is used to analyze the effect of the explanatory variables on the dependent variables. The analysis shows that the first two models are not statistically significant predictors of NFO service selection and NFO service assignment. The NFO completion model displays the most interesting result of all three models. Military quality point rating is a highly significant predictor of completing NFO flight training. For midshipmen who select NFO as their first or second choice, the higher their military grades the more likely an Academy graduate will complete flight officer training. Further research is recommended to determine if military quality point rating is a significant predictor of completing one's initial training in other warfare communities.