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 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.