Easyjet pilot grounded for whatsapp message to friends
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Easyjet pilot grounded for whatsapp message to friends
Really doesn't need to be a thread on this. This is someone's life - they threw out the flags, they got noticed and action was taken. End of story.
Join Date: Apr 2015
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I agree, Auxtank. There's nothing to see here. Everything seems to be working just as we would hope.
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The point here is how well will he be treated by the company. If treated well, more troubled souls may come forward. If badly, the opposite. He needs family support, medical treatment and the full range Of psychological interventions. And in the fullness of time with recovery may fly again.
Cheers
ryr
Cheers
ryr
After the German Wings crash in 2015 no one is going to take any chances and I think that's the end of his licence. He's probably looking at a ground job from now on.
If you need professional help then go to the appropriate place, social media isn't that place. The better employers have counselling available from professionals for flight crew with problems such as stress or alcohol. Sadly, he's almost certainly blown his career when he could have sought help and been taken off the roster for a while instead.
If you need professional help then go to the appropriate place, social media isn't that place. The better employers have counselling available from professionals for flight crew with problems such as stress or alcohol. Sadly, he's almost certainly blown his career when he could have sought help and been taken off the roster for a while instead.
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Oh do p**s off. Comments like 'blown his career' are why people keep quiet and don't bring their issues to the company. That aside, I'm not sure a whatsapp group is really social media, yes it's online, but a private conversation isn't inherently social media.
Do you really think that a Whatsapp group is a better option for someone with a problem than a professional counsellor ? Whilst confidentiality is part of the process, any counsellor would recommend he be taken off the roster if they thought he was a safety threat. This could have been done quietly and he could have received the help he needed and been returned to flying status if deemed fit.
By effectively going public with his issues he's backed the company into a corner and they have no other option than to ground him
By effectively going public with his issues he's backed the company into a corner and they have no other option than to ground him
It never amazes me the amount of people that look at me like I am crazy when I tell them I have used counselling!
The more of us who can show it as normal and not a stigma the better.
We all have our own reasons, mine was fairly simple I was so confused about chasing jobs/money/??? That chatting to an independent person was fantastic. Helped me get my priorities right.
The more of us who can show it as normal and not a stigma the better.
We all have our own reasons, mine was fairly simple I was so confused about chasing jobs/money/??? That chatting to an independent person was fantastic. Helped me get my priorities right.
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This is quite blatantly an advert but if you do not wish to contact your company, you can contact “Stiftung-mayday.de” which is a confidential organisation using pilots and cabin crew to help council people. They offer CISM Counselling - Critical Incident Stress Management. Go to their website and have a look through their FAQs. It is something supported by my company (500+pilots) and is openly talked about during each Ground Recurrent.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
I for one wish him a good outcome. Hopefully the company will provide help and support. With the right intervention, he could be back in the seat again, given time.
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For those who advocate that after good councelling he could go back on the line, I have this question: Would you feel comfortable to fly (both as crew or pax) with a pilot who has a mental history? In truth it's quite a dilemma for the airline.
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Would you feel comfortable to fly (both as crew or pax) with a pilot who has a mental history? In truth it's quite a dilemma for the airline.
Given the prevalence of mental health issues in the general population, it is not unlikely that there are at least some pilots that should not be flying. This means it is very important to provide the greatest possible support to those who put their hands up and ask for help so that others feel encouraged to do so. This is not about judging people, it is about achieving the best outcomes.
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I felt suicidal once for a couple of days after a relationship breakup. I got over it. Would you fly with me? What about someone who was diagnosed bipolar? What about someone who's just a miserable git?
Mental health is the same as physical health. It's not black and white. Some things are temporary and go away with no risk to ops. Some things don't. And some things are completely out of the question.
He would need to be assessed by a psychiatrist approved by the CAA before returning to flying duties. The psychiatrist would have to be satisfied that he would put his own family onboard with the pilot concerned, and would be mindful of any liability he might incur if his decision proved incorrect, so very little benefit of the doubt would be given. It's now gone beyond Chief Pilot/Director Flight Operations level as his fitness to hold a medical certificate has been brought into question.
It matters not on iota how it was picked up - the treatment of the illness is the same. Of course ideally he should have contacted his AME if he felt unable to speak to his employer but he was ill.
when his illness is treated and he is no longer ill, why should he not work provided the regulator is satisfied?
I am interested in Easyjet's comment
. My AME must have forgotten this part of the examination last time....and the time before...and the time before
when his illness is treated and he is no longer ill, why should he not work provided the regulator is satisfied?
I am interested in Easyjet's comment
All pilots are licensed under aviation regulators and as part of this are subject to extensive regular medical assessments which include mental health assessments
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I'd far prefer to fly with someone who has acknowledged their mental health issues and believes themselves, with the agreement of mental health professionals, to be in control of their mental state than with someone who has unacknowledged and/or unmanaged problems, especially if they are problems that are actively being hidden.
Given the prevalence of mental health issues in the general population, it is not unlikely that there are at least some pilots that should not be flying. This means it is very important to provide the greatest possible support to those who put their hands up and ask for help so that others feel encouraged to do so. This is not about judging people, it is about achieving the best outcomes.
Given the prevalence of mental health issues in the general population, it is not unlikely that there are at least some pilots that should not be flying. This means it is very important to provide the greatest possible support to those who put their hands up and ask for help so that others feel encouraged to do so. This is not about judging people, it is about achieving the best outcomes.
CP
My AME must have forgotten this part of the examination last time....and the time before...and the time before
The Chief Pilot is seldom a trained mental health professional but is expected to decide on someones fitness to operate his company's aircraft. He should be able to make lower level decisions such as time off if a pilot is going through a marriage break up or is dealing with the death of a close relative. Peer counselling or someone approved by the union could be appropriate in some cases requiring a more indepth response.
Alcohol or prescription drug abuse at a lower level would require a company grounding and treatment of the employee by an outside specialised agency.
Illegal drug abuse would definitely have to involve the regulator as a breach of the law would be involved.
Anything suicidal requires immediate grounding and the regulator to be involved, followed by a lengthy period of assessment to determine if a return to flying duties is going to be possible at all. The liability issues at stake are horrendous if a disaster were to happen and comparable to what Boeing are going through with the MAX and its MCAS.
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It matters not on iota how it was picked up - the treatment of the illness is the same. Of course ideally he should have contacted his AME if he felt unable to speak to his employer but he was ill.
when his illness is treated and he is no longer ill, why should he not work provided the regulator is satisfied?
I am interested in Easyjet's comment . My AME must have forgotten this part of the examination last time....and the time before...and the time before
when his illness is treated and he is no longer ill, why should he not work provided the regulator is satisfied?
I am interested in Easyjet's comment . My AME must have forgotten this part of the examination last time....and the time before...and the time before
CP
Absolutely yes. I hope that, post-Germanwings, all airlines have stronger procedures to protect the public from suicidal pilots than just grounding the ones who admit their feelings before locking the door and setting FL000.
