Symbiotics’ survey shows pilots are not ready

Symbiotics has recently closed responses on its aviation industry questionnaire from December, targeted at gathering insight and opinions around the new EASA Regulations into the psychological testing of pilots. This survey has provided some useful yet concerning information about the readiness of the aviation industry to comply with the new rules that come into force July 2020.

Of the European Pilot respondents, only 10 percent are very/ extremely familiar with the amendments as opposed to 45 percent who have nofamiliarity at all. Only 17 percent of survey respondents’ employers havesolutions or psychological assessments in place already, demonstrating aserious lack of readiness for the mandatory evaluations.

Going beyondcompliance – mental wellbeing

It is clear that mental health is a growing issue, inaviation as it is across all industries: statistics from the mental health charity,Mind suggest that globally 1 in 4 adults will experience at least one mentalhealth condition in any one year, and that at any particular time 1 in 6 adultsare experiencing a mental health condition; that is around 450-million peopleglobally.

Given the accepted mental ill-health figures and FAA Pilotrecruitment statistics, this means that approximately 114,000 pilots could beexperiencing a mental health condition at this moment. This is made even morerelevant with the recent Beechcraft B200 Super King Air crash in Botswana wherethe pilot crashed the airplane into a club house at Matsieng Air Strip,appearing to be suffering from a mental health condition.

The results of Symbiotics’ recent aviation questionnairehighlight not only the concerns about the new regulations and ensuing industryupdates, but also the stigma that is still attached around the issue of mentalhealth. Thirty-six percent of survey respondents said that they, or someonethey knew well, has experienced a mental health condition within the last fiveyears, but 43 percent of respondents chose not to respond to the questiondespite ‘no’ being an option. This suggests a greater issue still, with a lackof openness on the subject, holding back the willingness for conversationsaround mental ill-health to take place.

With only 5 percent of Symbiotics survey respondents having theexperience of informing their employer of mental ill-health, this brings tolight the serious risk that could still be present and why, perhaps, assessmentjust at recruitment is not enough. Further to this, 19 percent of those who hadexperience of mental ill-health received no support to help them recover.

Symbiotics offers Mindfull, a mental wellbeing riskassessment solution, that includes MindQ assessment from MHS Assessment, whichassesses and tracks an individual’s mental state and provides insights intochanges and signs for support. When used at the recommended 2-3 times annually,this allows for early intervention when mental health concerns are highlightedas a risk or when the individual can be seen to be on a downward trajectory.