ROMA – The more they will increase the pilots employed by them and the more companies will have to equip themselves with professionals who listen to them and support them: flight psychologists.
Valentina Di Mattei, professor at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. You are the scientific director of the Aviation Psychology Course.
«We created our course – explains Di Mattei – in the wake of a European regulation that was born after a terrible news story».
It was 2015. The pilot of a Germanwings flight deliberately crashed his plane in the Alpes de Provence with 150 other people on board.
«This is how the figure of the aviation psychologist was born who evaluates aspiring pilots and flight attendants both at the time of possible hiring and during the course of their career».
You essentially evaluate their mental health. What is the time for the pilot profession?
“These people are subjected to really important stresses.”
International routes involve a change in sleep-wake rhythms, but short ones are more stressful
Especially on long routes.
«International flights involve a change in sleep-wake rhythms. So they are delicate. But short routes are even more stressful because the companies, especially the low cost ones, decide on strict work shifts.”
What is the main danger that you see, even for a young person?
«The typical stress of their work sometimes adds to important personal problems: separation from a spouse, the loss of a loved one. It so happens that the nervous load reaches an alarm level.”
And is the pilot willing to talk about his troubles?
«The pilot, as he himself admits, is sick of flying. He lives to fly his plane. Therefore it is rare for him to talk to the psychologist: he fears being forced to the ground.”
Carrier employees, including private individuals and professionals who want to present themselves to the companies, enroll in our course in Aviation Psychology.
And how does the psychologist overcome this barrier?
«A technique is developed that is based on peer support. We train these pilots, the peers, because they understand whether their colleague’s stress is physiological or has reached a level that requires attention. In this second case, the peers are authorized to alert the psychologists by acting as a link.”
Who are your students?
«Sometimes airlines, even private ones, enroll their employees. Then there are professionals who want to qualify. This way they will be able to present themselves as flight psychologists to the various companies.”
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