Flight Training - September/October 2022 - 15

ASI TIPS
BY TERRIE MEAD
MENTAL HEALTH? CHECK!
JUDGING YOUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONDITION BEFORE FLIGHT
help you recall the key human elements
that require careful observation: Illness,
Medications, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue,
Emotions.
The letter " S " reminds pilots to
recognize the effects of stress, and factor
these into their go/no-go decision-making
process. A few of its characteristic
signs are memory loss, headaches,
fatigue, stomach discomfort, and
increased heart rate. Stress is difficult
to detect in ourselves, and when it is
poorly managed, the consequences can
be devastating.
When scheduling your physical exam
YOU ARE MISSING A CRUCIAL COMPONENT IF YOU ARE NOT INCORPORATING A MENTAL
health review into your pre-departure checklist. Every student pilot is taught that
meticulous preparation before boarding the aircraft is the most effective method for
avoiding in-flight mistakes. But are they instructed to give equal weight to each of the
three parts of thorough preflight planning? Maybe not. Here's a primer extending the
airworthiness assessment to include the pilot's mental soundness.
A comprehensive preflight checklist includes the aircraft, the flight environment, and
the human factor. The human factor determines a pilot's fitness for flight, that is, their
physical and psychological well-being before stepping into the cockpit. There will be no
surprise that the flying community has an acronym for that. Well, actually, two acronyms.
The first memory aid to help a pilot determine if they are fit for flight is PAVE: Pilot,
Aircraft, enVironment, and External pressures.
The letter " P " serves as a prompt to assess both your body and mind, which
segues smoothly to the second acronym, IMSAFE. Using this mnemonic device will
NEW FROM ASI
MENTAL HEALTH: INSIGHTS AND GUIDELINES FOR GA PILOTS
In this AOPA Air Safety Institute webinar, the FAA director of medical
specialties division, Dr. Penny Giovanetti, aims to dispel misconceptions
about mental health and the FAA's role in medical certification. This
candid conversation focuses on how pilots can ensure appropriate
treatment for mental health concerns while actively flying. It also
addresses how pilots and their physicians, AMEs, and mental health
providers can work together to get them flying. The topic is especially
relevant for student pilots preparing to meet with their AME for the first
time. airsafetyinstitute.org/mentalhealthinsights
HOLMES AND RAHE STRESS SCALE
The Holmes and Rahe stress scale is a tool that has been
used for more than 40 years as a predictor of one's
vulnerability to illness. This tool is also used as a model for
determining how life events rank in causing stress, which can
lead to performance degradation, loss of concentration, or
worse. airsafetyinstitute.org/stressscale
with your aviation medical examiner
(AME), or personal physician if you
are applying for BasicMed, it is also
necessary to be aware of your mental
health. For questions related to BasicMed,
please go to the AOPA's eligibility
and renewal tool (airsafetyinstitute.org/
medicalassessment).
The human factor is not a constant
but rather a variable. In other words, a
pilot's mental state is prone to fluctuation.
Pilots must, therefore, be mindful
of that fact to ensure safe flight and
include a mental health review in their
preflight planning.
Before your next flight, ask yourself,
am I airworthy? The IMSAFE checklist
is the best tool for pilots to judge their
physical and mental condition.
terrie.mead@aopa.org
FLIGHT TRAINING SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
15

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/medicalassessment http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/medicalassessment http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/stressscale http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/mentalhealthinsights

Flight Training - September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - September/October 2022