AVIATION PSYCHOLOGIST - Mental health is still a sensitive issue for most pilots

The writer works with avion express as a psychologist and had shared her views on the mental challenges faced by the pilots and solution to help them overcome such symptoms.

Aviation is an incredibly exciting yet particularly demanding field. The knowledge of weather, aerodynamics, propulsion, navigation, and all the other technical disciplines is crucial to keeping everyone in the air safe and comfortable. But there is more to it than that: for aviation operations to run smoothly, you also need a comprehensive understanding of what is simultaneously their most fragile and most resilient component-the human being.

In their highly specific and little-known psychology subspecialty, aviation psychologists explore how human factors affect the performance and well-being of aviation professionals. As Agne Novikiene, Aviation Psychologist at Avion Express, says, her job involves not only selecting the right people for pilot training but also helping airborne personnel open up about their challenges at work.

SECRETIVE ABOUT STRUGGLES

Pilots are the face of aviation, but stress can dim the glamour of their job. After all, it is their responsibility to get everyone on the plane safely to their destination. However, according to Agne, pilots can be tight-lipped about the anxieties they face.

"When you talk about mental health with pilots, they all nod their heads and agree that it's important and that they, just like the rest of us, can face psychological difficulties. But because it's a topic closely related to a pilot's ability to exercise their license; it's challenging for them to talk about their struggles." When a person struggles to acknowledge vulnerability, the situation merits a sensitive approach. Agne says that simple questions work best in such cases.