[Sanran]

In two days I came across to different articles on risky pilot behaviours.

The first one really scary happened on a horizon/Alaska Airlines:

Alaska Airlines Off-Duty Pilot Tries Turning Off Engines: Diverts to Portland

while the second one in Italy on an Easyjet flight (it came out as Easyjet fired immediately the pilot) :
https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/attualit/easyjet-licenzia-comandate-l-atterraggio-milano-olbia-cosa-2229163.html
(unfortunately I only found articles in Italian)

Although everything went well for passengers (as it was the case with SQ reported landing a couple of weeks ago), I wonder if pressure on pilots is not getting really too high. Or maybe it’s just that we now get news which formerly were kept in-house?

[cwoodward]

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I see nothing new in the above. This stressful occupation has ever been thus with casualties along the way.

An up tern -I don’t se one.

[Rferguson2]

I think in every demographic, in every workforce there will be a percentage of people that are suffering with their mental health. The most tragic of these we saw in 2015 when a pilot suffering with severe mental health issues deliberately crashed a 320 into a mountain killing all onboard.

I think airlines ARE getting better about discussing mental health and realising its importance as part of overall health of employees including pilots. Many airlines also have a lot of Human Factors training for pilots, acknowledging that we are not robots and may not always react the way we think we will.

Saying that, the majority of pilots are male and I think every study out there confirms that males tend to speak up less about mental health than females and will offer suffer in silence instead of seek help.

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[MarcusGB]

As a Professional, Director of Mental Health / Psychiatry Services for 30 years, working in several countries and observing many cultures through travel, this in itself is a very vast Area to address.

The phrases used of Mental Health as opposed to Mental Illness, has lessened the use of Psychiatric / Psychiatry, which more generally refers to a Medical Model perspective. This generally refers to diagnosis in specific terms of dysfunctional brain disease, and the adjustment of this mainly through altering the chemical or physical state of the person affected.

But every country and its laws, customs, Cultures, Religious and many other influences, will perceive Someone’s Mental State so differently.
Some cultures or countries do not even acknowledge Mental Health or Mental illness, but more of a bad Spirit, or a religious definition.

Relating to Travel, having just been experienced a Covid Pandemic, I am sure we can all understand how many different reactions were made in different countries. Travel stopped!
Then it slowly re-emerged, with variations of processes, cautions, laws and regulations, that made anything that was not point to point, truly impossible for a time!
Let us not forget, that all those people related to a job / income from the travel Industry, were plunged into an abyss!
Clearly this involved Airline crews, including Pilots, and Airports and all connected to this huge chain of The Travel Industry.
Imagine how many people World Wide, on top of this initially frightening Pandemic, suffered with their Mental Health?
Even as Travellers, when we were allowed to start to travel, the stress involved of getting tests, in line with meeting all the requirements of Airlines, and Country Borders, was substantial.

We are all still adjusting to what is now the fallout of a World Pandemic, in economic terms, and a common pattern across Countries we will all see when we travel, and where we live. Housing, Cost of living, Income losses, Change in work patterns and roles, even If we travel into a City to work, global trade… is all changed. Life is different. The same issues are present in the UK, Europe, Australia, US in many Western Countries. We also have several Regional Wars emerged, which has and will compound all of these issues even more.

The re-emerging of Travel and of Airlines, is now more tightly controlled than ever in economic terms, with some having fallen away, others maximising every aspect of costs and income. We know as travellers, and we see it when we travel, though many Business travellers have gone from the Business Cabins, and been replaced by Leisure travellers! And we all know the costs to travel, are extremely increased Post This Pandemic.
The pressure on Airline crews re-employed, is greater than ever.
I think it is on those of us who travel also.

But in the Medical, Nursing and all Allied Professions, their is real burn out. The same for Teaching, and indeed ever on going Mental Health of Children and younger adults. Services for life and living, are stretched to their limits everywhere i see? Most Professions are in Crisis Worldwide!
If we seriously examine life post the events of the last few years, and the major concerns of monies funding wars and not services and support for everyday living and working, who’s mental Health has not declined?!!!

Would and could you be able to say that your “Mental Health”, has been challenged or at times declined recently?

On this forum, we raise many issues, all linked by the wonderful gift, of travel.
We know what that is to have it stopped, restricted, and costs increased. We on here, are very privileged to travel often.

I for one, have new renewed principles of supporting Airlines, Hotels, all travel services that treat their staff well, support and care for their work, income and Mental well being. I do engage and thank the crews when i travel, and they value it, and respond very kindly that we do also care for them, who after all make the travel pleasurable. The same with hotels, from Housekeeping to F & B staff, receptionists, and many of those roles that are poorly paid, yet pillars of what we expect in cleanliness, good food, loyalty and welcoming us to stay. The taxi drivers that take us to and from also…

What we can do on BT, is engage and value everyone involved in our travel experience, thereby promoting a good and decent feel amongst all of those we encounter.
By doing so, we promote well being, value, and engage in “Being” good for others Mental Health, be Pro-Active, and not just having to talk about its failure?

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[cwoodward]

Thank you ‘MarcusGB’ Your post added a good deal of perspective at least for myself.

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GivingupBA, MarcusGB

[theflyingnurse]

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Is this basically just a long winded way of saying “let’s be kind to one another”? It goes without saying that will benefit our own mental health as well as those we interact with. Your post has very little to do with the topic of this thread.
MarcusGB please don’t think I am trying to be unkind, but your posts are very hard to read. They are excrutiatingly protracted, full of spelling, punctuation and grammar errors and you really just go on a lot about yourself in them. They have a very tiresome pattern.

[cwoodward]

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TFN I am left wondering what is the point of your post? That BTW has no relevance at all to travel and shows aggressive and I believe an aggressive and unnecessary intolerance which has seldom been the spirit of this forum.
Your post leaves me hoping that I am never unfortunate enough to meet you in a professional capacity.

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AndrewinHK

[theflyingnurse]

This reply has been reported for inappropriate content.

@cwoodward, my post speaks for itself but is not aggressive, nor was it intended to be. Its purpose was to show my exasperation in relation to those who post irrelevant content that is full of mistakes. MarcusGB does this regularly, and whilst a lot of us make the odd typo I feel that we should check before we post, especially in very lengthy posts. For example, the second sentence of your latest post on this topic does not make sense.
The title of this thread is “Some pilots on the edge?” You stated in your first reply, “I see nothing new in the above. This stressful occupation has ever been thus with casualties along the way. An up tern -I don’t se one.” I note some mistakes in the second sentence of this post but what is horrendously obvious is your dismissal of people dying in aircraft accidents as “casualties along the way”. This type of callous viewpoint is utterly appaling. Cold hearted in the extreme and very disdainful.
I assure you that if I were to meet you in my professional capacity I would treat you with dignity, respect and provide care of the highest standard. When off duty and posting on a forum such as this, I am allowed to have an opinion, albeit with certain restrictions. I wonder what people who have to work with or interact with you would think of your “casualties along the way” comment?

[cwoodward]

TFN We disagree.

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