Stress Levels

Professional pilots seem to be under ever-increasing levels of stress

My mind clicks on and off. I try letting one eyelid close at a time while I prop the other with my will. But the effect is too much, sleep is winning, my whole body argues dully that nothing, nothing life can attain is quite so desirable as sleep. My mind is losing resolution and control. ” The famous words from Charles Lindbergh about his historic 1927 solo tran-Atlantic flight are not quite the lament of today’s low-cost airline pilot, but evidence is mounting that the significant increase in work and life-stressorscombined with a gruelling work schedule is turning flying into a repetitive chore for many.

The mental state of pilots has been brought into sharp focus after Andreas Lubitz programmed his Germanwings A320 to fly into the French Alps on March 24 killing 150.