Flying under the radar? Education for sustainable development in private pilot training

Sammanfattning: Aim: Private pilot (PPL(A)) training has hardly received any scholarly attention from educational and sustainability science perspectives. Through an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) perspective, the study aimed at 1) answering how sustainability and sustainable development (SD) are taught in pertinent PPL(A) theory learning material, theory lessons and practical training, 2) identifying gaps pertaining to sustainability and SD in those three components, and lastly 3) explore if and how certificated flight instructors, theory instructors and student pilots experience transformative learning during PPL(A) training, as well as what possibilities these stakeholders see in supporting transformative learning in PPL(A) training. Theory: This study was framed in the research paradigm of pragmatism. The theoretical lens through which the research problem was investigated was on a general level ESD. Within the context of ESD, the research used the perspective of Mezirowian Transformative Learning Theory. Method: Focusing on Switzerland, this multi-methods study combined secondary and empirical methods. Firstly, a thematic document analysis (following Braun and Clarke) was applied to the two main PPL(A) learning materials. Secondly, semi-structured interviews with three certificated flight instructors (CFIs), one current student pilot, and two recently certificated private pilots were conducted. The interview analysis was conducted analogously to the document analysis. The results from both analyses were triangulated to answer the research questions. Results: The study found that sustainability and SD were not adequately addressed in PPL(A) learning material and theory lessons, and only slightly more in practical training. This highlights the need to include sustainability and SD in all aspects of PPL(A) training, including the practical training syllabus to induce disorienting dilemmas in students. The study also suggests transforming the role of the CFI to become an educator that serves as a facilitator and provocateur in the Mezirowian sense of transformative learning. Applying a transformative ESD approach has the potential to catalyze sustainability in PPL(A) training, GA, and even the commercial aviation sector due to potential spillover effects.