Dwight Robinson is the deputy chief pilot of flight testing at Airbus. Last year, his flying career was almost cut short when he was hospitalized with Atrial Fibrillation. But despite losing his medical, and battling the effects of his condition, Dwight made a decision. One way or another, he told himself, he was going to fly again. 

Against all odds, he did just that. In roughly a year, Dwight was back to flying, with no further heart complications. His story exemplifies a spirit of of perseverance and self-advocacy from which we can learn.

Last March, the US Helicopter Safety Team launched their Peer Pilot Program — an online resource for pilots to seek help with the inner turbulence they might face. Through the program, users can speak with a trained industry “peer” who will listen to the user, and guide them through their concern — personal, professional, and otherwise. These sessions are free, and completely confidential. 

In this episode, I’m speaking with Chris Baur — industry co-chair of the USHST — about launching the new program, and why mental health might be the most urgent, yet overlooked, issue in aviation.

Dr. Ivan Pupulidy is an expert on safety in complex systems and high risk environments. He’s been a featured speaker for TEDx, and his new book “Human Organization And Potential” has been called “a roadmap toward a new era in workplace safety.”

In this conversation, I’ll speak with Dr. Pupulidy about aviation safety reform; how we can can discard the ideas that have been holding us back, and empower pilots with the skills to think on their feet. 

Carl Ockier is the senior expert for flight test engineering at Airbus. Over the last 25 years, Carl has been instrumental in developing some of the most iconic Airbus helicopters, including the H145 and H135.

In this conversation, I’ll speak with Carl about his work engineering aircraft; from the nitty-gritty technical details, to his larger ideas about humans and our relationship to the machines we fly. 

Nick Sinopoli is the creator ICARUS, a smart view limiting device that is revolutionizing IFR training. With a screen visor mounted to a hat or helmet, ICARUS allows its user to seamlessly move between levels of visibility, with a peripheral range not possible with earlier training tools.

I spoke with Nick about ICARUS, and why it’s making such an impact in the industry…but I was just as interested in his story — how a pilot at his lowest point channeled frustration into innovation. 

Unintended flight into IMC is one of the most severe risks we face as pilots. If you haven't been there, it's a hard thing to fathom — flying into the clouds, quickly losing all orientation. 

Our guest today is John Roberts. John is the Senior Training Manager at the Transportation Safety Institute. In a previous career, John flew helicopters in the army, where he retired with the rank of CW 5. 

In this episode, John will tell the story of a UIMC event he survived while flying in the army. What was his thought process as he entered the clouds? And what decisions were key to his survival? 

Also — we'll speak with John about his current work at TSI, the evolution of UIMC training equipment, and much more. 

This is the fourth and final episode of our mini-series on Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow. In it, we focus on his insights into human behavior and how we can apply them to aviation. We'll discuss anchoring and "the possibility effect" — how we undervalue likely outcomes while overvaluing unlikely ones.

This is the third part of our series exploring the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, and how it relates to aviation. In this episode, we’re looking at cognitive ease and our tendency to mistake correlation for causation.

This is the second part of our series exploring the work of psychologist Daniel Kahneman, and how it relates to aviation. In Episode 1, we laid the groundwork by introducing our two modes of thought: System 1 — the fast, instinctive system — and System 2 — the slow, logical one. Today, we’re looking at heuristics; the mental shortcuts our minds use to make quick decisions.

There has been perhaps no greater influence on my views of human behavior than Daniel Kahneman’s 2011 book, Thinking Fast And Slow. In the book, Kahneman — a psychologist — makes the case that human behavior is driven by the interplay of two differing modes of thought: System 1 — the fast, instinctive system — and System 2 — the slow, logical one.

If you’ve listened to this podcast, you’ve almost certainly heard me reference this book. I believe that understanding Kahneman will help us better diagnose the problems we face as pilots. 

And so, for the next four episodes, released each Thursday over the next four weeks, I’m going straight to the source — exploring Kahneman’s book and directly relating his ideas to aviation.