Proponents encouraged by new focus on supporting pilot mental health in Congress, FAA
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The goal of returning professional pilots to the flight deck as soon as it is safe to do so focused the 2024 HAWC Symposium, a gathering of more than 70 pilot mental health advocates and experts last week in Columbus. Hosted by the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) and members of its Health and Wellness Committee (HAWC), the three-day gathering was a consequential training and resource-sharing event. An independent labor advocate, NJASAP represents the 3,300-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company.
NJASAP and its Health & Wellness Committee hosted more than 70 pilot mental healthcare advocates and experts during a three-day symposium held in Columbus in late April. Attendees gathered to share information and resources focused on returning pilots to the flight deck as soon as it is safe to do so.
NJASAP HAWC Chair Capt. Kim Talleur and Vice Chair Capt. Chris Georgulis welcomed CAPA President Capt. Larry Rooney and CAPA Aeromedical Committee Chair Capt. Rondeau Flynn to the symposium, both of whom shared an update on efforts to support pilot mental health in Washington D.C. Pictured (l-r), Georgulis, Talleur, Rooney and Flynn.
"The HAWC Symposium was a gathering of esteemed leaders who are committed to removing the stigma associated with mental health," NJASAP Vice President Capt. Paulette Gilbert said. "It is tremendously encouraging to watch a new awareness unfold for this vital topic, which has ushered in a season of progress toward eliminating barriers that have prevented pilots with a controllable diagnosis from returning to the flight deck."
Pilot representatives from the labor unions representing American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines joined their NJASAP peers to hear from the nation's leading authorities on pilot mental health, including FAA Director of Medical Specialties Division Dr. Penny Giovanetti, University of North Dakota Assistant Professor Dr. William Hoffman and Psychologist Dr. Sky Overbo, Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS) Dr. Jon Riccitello and pilot mental healthcare consultants Dr. Tania Glenn and Dr. Jessica Auslander.
Attendees also received an update from Allied Pilots Association Aeromedical Committee Chair Capt. Rondeau Flynn, who served as part of an aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) tasked with developing recommendations to help remove barriers that prevent pilots and air traffic controllers from reporting mental health issues; the ARC delivered its 164-page recommendation to the Administration on April 1. Flynn also serves as chair of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA) Aeromedical Committee; CAPA is a trade association representing more than 35,000 passenger and cargo pilots.
The importance of providing support for mental health programs and removing the stigma of talking about this consequential topic is, at long last, getting the attention it deserves from both elected officials and industry regulators. Specifically, the bicameral, bipartisan FAA Reauthorization legislation released by House and Senate leadership Monday morning calls for the creation of an aviation workforce mental health task group to "oversee, monitor, and evaluate efforts to support mental health of the aviation workforce" in the Part 121, 135 and 91 sectors of the industry.
The legislation comes after the aforementioned Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances ARC submitted its recommendation to the FAA, which created the group of industry, trade, pilot and air traffic controller representatives as well as academia and medical professionals in December 2023 to study the issue of pilot mental health; the Administration will now review the recommendations and determine the appropriate next steps.
"Mental healthcare is vital to our ability, as professional aviators, to perform at our best, and that is why supporting pilot mental health is one of NJASAP's highest priorities," HAWC Chair Capt. Kim Talleur said. "We are exceedingly pleased that our nation's elected leaders and the FAA have prioritized the topic of pilot mental health and called for meaningful steps to be taken to address this very timely issue."
Added HAWC Vice Chair Capt. Chris Georgulis, "Peer support programs for professional pilots have been mandated in Europe for several years, and we are very encouraged to see these important initiatives are gaining traction here in the United States as evidenced by the ARC and FAA Reauthorization legislation. Our program here at NJASAP has been in place for more than five years, and we can attest to the vital role it plays in supporting pilots and reinforcing safety on the flight deck."
The NJASAP HAWC is unique because it relies on a healthcare professional who specializes in mental health to review, assess and, when appropriate, engage a crewmember who is in distress or crisis, offering care directly to the individual. "This approach not only assists the pilot, but also reinforces the safety and integrity of the flight deck – the pilot workspace," Talleur said.
About NJASAP Founded in 2008 as an independent labor advocate, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP) represents the professional interests of the 3,200-plus pilots who fly in the service of NetJets Aviation, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. For more information, please visit our website, www.njasap.com, or find us on Facebook, facebook.com/njasap, Instagram, www.instagram.com/njasap, and Twitter, @njasap.
SOURCE NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots (NJASAP)
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