Do you consider yourself mentally healthy? At least, for a pilot? The FAA is asking for volunteer GA pilots for confidential testing of cognitive skills during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The purpose is to establish baseline readings of brain-function data among healthy pilots so the agency can evaluate those recovering from brain injuries.
The FAA assures volunteers for the CogScreen-AE program that they will only view the group results, and pilots’ individual “scores” will remain completely confidential. The tests involve a series of computerized cognitive tasks. CogScreen has previously been used to detect the effects of medications on brain functions. It was initially designed for the FAA to detect subtle changes in cognitive functioning: “Changes which left unnoticed may result in poor pilot judgment or slow reaction time in critical operational situations,” according to an overview of the program on the CogScreen website.
