RIEB Discussion Paper Series No.2023-16

Title

Pilots' Desire to Become Future Space Tourism Pilots: Polynomial Regression Using Response Surface Analysis

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the impact of pilots' motivation on their desire to be space tour-ism pilots or to remain in their current occupation (adherence) by analyzing the feedback obtained from a survey questionnaire. Our sample consisted of 106 pilots with flying experience. In particular, we compared the pilots' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to investigate two outcomes: the desire to become future space pilots or to remain as air pilots. Applying the self-determination theory, we found that intrinsic motivation mattered more than extrinsic motivation. Furthermore, by applying response surface analysis as our statistical tool, it was revealed that motivation for the desire to be space pilots differed from that for adherence. To be more precise, motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) correlated positively with desire to become space pilots, with higher motivation being associated with a steeper increase. On the other hand, motivation correlated negatively with adherence (maintaining status quo). Moreover, pilots who experienced mid-level motivation preferred to stay at their "old" profession while highly motivated pilots are less hesitant to become space pilots. Further, we discovered that for desire a linear effect of motivation is predominant, while for adherence a quadratic effect of motivation is predominant. The managerial implications of the results are discussed.

Keywords

Airline pilot; Desire; Adherence; Extrinsic motivation; Intrinsic motivation; Response surface analysis; Spaceline; Space tourism pilot

JEL Classification

C12, D91, L93, M51, R41

Inquiries

Robert A. GOEHLICH
College of Aviation, Worldwide, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Ralf BEBENROTH
Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration
Kobe University
Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe
657-8501 Japan
Phone: +81-78-803-7036
FAX: +81-78-803-7059