Pilot Support Workshop, 7th June 2017
We held our open practical workshop on Pilot Support at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Stansted Airport this week, in the wake of the CAA IN issued earlier this year. Participants came from a number of operators, including AirTanker, DHL Air, Eastern Airways, Jet2, PDG Helicopters and Titan Airways. We looked in detail at the background to the issue of pilot support, including the incidence of mental health issues in pilots and the relationship to accidents and safety, and the content of the EASA Opinion, IN-2017/005 and the EPPSI Best Practice Guidelines. Some time was spent defining what support means, the key skills required and the different forms it can take, both professional and peer. After lunch we looked at the practical requirements for setting up a programme and participants worked in groups on how they will take this forwards. We aim to hold a further session later in the year once the EASA Regulation has been issued. If you would like further information, or an in-house similar workshop then please contact us here.
UPDATE!
- our regular in-depth psychological assessment of pilots for recruitment and command upgrade with a number of operators
- designing psychological assessment processes for a number of operators in compliance with CAA CAP1938 including job analysis and OM A policy development, and training Basic Interviewers in line with CAP1938 requirements
- individual psychological assessments for pilots returning to work after Class 1 medical suspension
- assessment and support of pilots involved in serious incidents
- assessments of private pilots with mental health diagnoses for granting Class 2 medicals
- individual treatment/support work with pilots with sim anxiety and other aviation-related anxiety conditions
- training aviation peer supporters
- delivering webinars on aviation mental health and wellbeing awareness
- acting as a subject matter expert on a project for Leonardo Helicopter and the Norwegian Armed Forces
- participating in the ICAO mental health working group online meetings and the CAA FOLG Crew health and welfare subgroup
Phew! I'm sure there are things I've missed too. Since the start of 2021 we have acquired some significant new clients including Loganair Limited , BlueIslands, Castle Air and Air Charter Scotland, and we have a number of additional new contracts with operators in the UK and Europe in the offing. We also continue to support Kura Human Factors MAPS peer support programme working with over 40 AOCs across Europe as a result. We are now the exclusive suppliers of aviation psychology services to all 4 main offshore helicopter operators, Babcock Onshore and UKSAR and Irish Coast Guard SAR operations.
In April May I will be presenting at two online Royal Aeronautical Society events. On 27th and 28th April I will presenting during the Mental Wellbeing and Human Performance event and on 17th May I am presenting at the HF SG Engineering and Maintenance Conference. Both cover the topic of mental wellbeing and aviation, the first focussing on pilots the second - importantly - on aerospace engineers. I am also planning to update my "Cleared for Take Off" guide produced last year in the light of changed circumstances in the run up to flight operations post Covid, and new research that has emerged.
- urgent aircrew mental health assessment for operators
- online pilot peer selection interviews for the North Sea pilot peer consortium
- translating the "Cleared for Take Off!" guide into French and Spanish following requests from Canadian and Columbian pilot's unions
- presenting a Webinar (see above) on the guide for up to 1500 Avianca pilots across Central and South America
- reviewing papers for our professional aviation psychology journal
- planning activities with a number of operators for when travel is less restricted next month
