A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT THE U.S. ARMY PRIMARY HELICOPTER SCHOOL, FORT WOLTERS, TEXAS, TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE USE OF A HELICOPTER TRAINING DEVICE WOULD IMPROVE STUDENT PERFORMANCE DURING SUBSEQUENT HELICOPTER CONTACT FLIGHT TRAINING. SUBJECTS WERE TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS AND TWO CONTROL GROUPS OF WARRANT OFFICER CANDIDATES ENROLLED FOR A FOUR-WEEK PREFLIGHT INDOCTRINATION PROGRAM AND A 12-WEEK PRIMARY HELICOPTER FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEVICE TRAINING WAS EVALUATED AGAINST THREE CRITERIA--PASSING VERSUS FAILURE, TIME TO THE CHECKRIDES ADMINISTERED AT THE END OF EACH OF THREE PHASES OF ACTUAL FLIGHT TRAINING, AND INSTRUCTOR AND CHECK PILOT ASSIGNED FLIGHT GRADES. SEVERAL IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED, NOTABLY A 20 PERCENT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF ELIMINATIONS DUE TO FLYING DEFICIENCY. HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE NOTED BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS, AFTER THE FIRST SOLO FLIGHT, ON ANY OF THE THREE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. (ALSO INCLUDED ARE FIVE TABLES, FIVE REFERENCES, AND A PHOTO.) THIS DOCUMENT, AD-630-484, IS AVAILABLE FROM THE CLEARINGHOUSE FOR FEDERAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION, SPRINGFIELD, VA. 22151. MICROFICHE $0.65. HARDCOPY $3.00. (LY)