Aeronautical Psychology: What It Is And What It Is Responsible For
If we talk about aeronautical psychology, many may wonder what airplanes have to do with psychology. It is not the airplanes themselves that concern psychology, but rather those who fly them.
Piloting an airplane or any other aircraft is not a task that should be taken lightly. It requires skill, adequate knowledge and, in addition, good mental health.
Aeronautical psychology is responsible for evaluating and intervening in the mental health of aviation professionals, in addition to assessing who is best suited to perform this type of job. Below we will discover its importance.
Aeronautical psychology is the branch of psychology that is responsible for evaluate, diagnose, treat and select aviation professionals who have the best skills and mental health to be able to work with airplanes, either piloting them or helping whoever pilots them. Aviation psychologists evaluate pilots, second commanders, cabin crew and air traffic controllers. In Spain, this qualification has been recognized since 2017, and psychologists can be accredited as experts in aeronautical psychology.
Piloting an airplane is a very risky job that requires a lot of responsibility. It is essential that whoever operates an aircraft is in full use of his or her mental faculties, in addition to demonstrating that he or she has the knowledge and physical fitness to perform his or her job. Whether in the civil or military field, the profession of pilot, along with that of air traffic controller and cabin crew, must be carried out by people who are prepared and mentally stable.
The origins of aviation psychology date back to World War II, a time when it was necessary to select soldiers who could pilot an airplane, in addition to presenting the ideal psychological and emotional characteristics to not get upset in the middle of battle. At that time, questionnaires were distributed to see what the intellectual and personality capabilities of potential pilots were, and thus ensure that they had a good aviation corps.
With the passage of time and the popularization of airplanes as civil vehicles, psychologists working in the field of aviation have dedicated themselves to evaluating other important aspects of the lives of pilots. Among them are the specific feeling of stress that they may present, the organizational changes and influences in airline companies, the fear of crashing the plane due to human error and the need to evaluate if they are going through a bad time.
Aviation psychologists are not only in charge of evaluating the well-being of the aviation professional, but, They are also responsible for managing crisis situations, especially when an air accident or incident occurs Thus, the profession of aeronautical psychologist, together with that of an emergency psychologist, can be very useful in situations such as a plane crashing, air hijacking, forced landing…
Evaluation of commanders and second pilots
The main objective of aeronautical psychologists is to evaluate commanders and second pilots, although They also care about the psychological characteristics and emotional stability of air traffic controllers and cabin crew However, since the person who directly controls the plane is the pilot, it is necessary to ensure that he has the appropriate psychological capacity to pilot the aircraft.
Piloting an airplane is, obviously, a complicated task. Not only in the knowledge aspect, but also psychologically, since whoever is operating the machine is aware that they have a great responsibility and that, if they make a mistake, it can be fatal. To be a pilot you cannot have an unstable personality: It is necessary to have cold personality traits, in the sense that in the event of an unforeseen event the pilot does everything possible so that it does not end in an accident
Aeronautical psychologists are in charge of evaluating candidates to be pilots, evaluating whether they have this coldness, in addition to seeing how responsible they are. Along with this, the psychological well-being of the pilot and other aviation professionals is evaluated to see if they suffer from any mental disorder that could compromise their safety and that of the passengers on a flight. Among the pathological aspects that the aeronautical psychologist evaluates we have:
The evaluation includes open and closed questions and questionnaires, which help the process of aeronautical psychological evaluation. With the use of psychometric tests, all kinds of information can be collected to see if there is any type of problem or the person has an unstable personality type. It is very important for the psychologist to be aware of whether the person evaluated is trying to give a good image or hide a problem.
The application of tests on mood should be done frequently, since the emotional state of the pilots can vary greatly from one week to the next. Given the great responsibility they have on their shoulders and what their profession entails, it is necessary to evaluate them at least every few weeks to ensure that their emotional state is not so altered that they cannot fly the aircraft.
Clinical treatment for aeronautical personnel
As we have mentioned before, the responsibility especially of pilots and second commanders is so great that any symptom that indicates that they could have psychopathology cannot be ignored. The psychological well-being of the pilot is not only an important aspect for him as a person, but It is also a matter of public safety A pilot is, in essence, the driver of a vehicle that, as a rule, usually has a large number of passengers.
If a pilot is depressed and also has suicidal ideation, there is a risk that, if not treated, he could commit suicide in mid-flight. There are already precedents for this: on March 24, 2015, the co-pilot of Germanwings flight 9525, Andreas Günter Lubitz, deliberately crashed the aircraft in the French Alps, taking his life and the lives of 149 other people who were on the plane. The investigation concluded that he had psychopathic traits, suicidal ideation and that he had rejected sick leave.
This is why, in addition to the fact that the evaluation and selection of pilots cannot be done without the necessary work of the psychologist, if possible psychological disorders or problems are detected, intervention must be made. Treatment is extremely necessary for pilots, no matter how mild their emotional problems may be. Any problem that is not properly addressed can crystallize and become chronic in such a way that the pilot ends up developing a true depressive, psychotic and suicidal condition as was the case with the Germanwings pilot.
The aeronautical psychologist not only evaluates, diagnoses and treats air personnel. One of his main tasks is to intervene in aeronautical crises. We understand this type of crisis to plane crashes, plane hijackings, mid-flight attacks and any situation in which a major air disaster has occurred
Airplanes are highly manned vehicles that are difficult to save in the event of human error or any serious unforeseen event during the flight, so in the event of an accident the consequences are usually fatal.
Aviation psychologists, along with emergency management psychologists, They intervene directly with any survivors and the personnel involved in helping the victims In addition, they are responsible for helping to manage the discomfort of the family and friends of the people injured or killed in the accident, with the intention of avoiding at all costs that this experience can turn into a serious anxiety disorder, especially stress disorder. post-traumatic.
Importance of the aviation psychologist
Although looking at the previous sections we can understand the importance of psychology in the field of aeronautics, it is necessary to mention a couple of things. Nearly 80% of air accidents are due to human error, not because the device has suddenly failed or there has been an attack on the plane. It is, in most cases, the pilot who has been irresponsible or has deliberately crashed the plane.
Taking this into account, the task of the aeronautical psychologist, as a selector of those who are trained to fly machines, is fundamental. Not everyone can be allowed to fly an airplane, regardless of whether he has the necessary training to do so or has passed the medical checkup. Flying an airplane is a highly stressful business and that, if the pilot already has problems in his personal sphere, it can have terrible consequences.
