Article by Daniela Bezuidenhout, 13 August 2025
Every time you arrive for duty, whether stepping towards an aircraft, entering the control tower, loading cargo, or prepping maintenance equipment, you know the drill. You check your gear, review your tasks, and ensure every procedure aligns with safety protocols. Aviation culture is built on these rituals of preparation and diligence. They are ingrained in everyone from the first day of training.
But here’s a question that is less often asked: When was the last time you performed a pre-flight check on yourself? Not just your physical health, but your mental and emotional readiness – the systems within that determine how you process information, handle stress, make decisions under pressure, communicate effectively, and care for yourself in demanding environments.
Aircraft are marvels of engineering. Their systems are precise and dependable, but only when operated, maintained, or supported by professionals whose minds are equally ready. Research shows that most aviation incidents occur not because of mechanical failures alone, but due to human factors such as fatigue, distraction, impaired decision-making, or unrecognised emotional distress. The reality is simple: the most advanced avionics, engines, or operational systems are useless if the people interpreting, maintaining, or managing them are impaired.
Your brain’s prefrontal cortex is the seat of executive functioning. It manages judgment, planning, quick but safe decisions, and your ability to adapt when conditions change unexpectedly. Chronic stress, fatigue, or untreated mental health issues impair this region, reducing cognitive flexibility and increasing errors (Arnsten, 2009). At the same time, your limbic system, particularly the amygdala, activates under stress, pushing your body into “threat mode.” While this reaction is lifesaving in genuine emergencies, it can be dangerous when triggered unnecessarily, clouding situational awareness and narrowing perception (McEwen & Morrison, 2013).
Many in aviation are familiar with the I’M SAFE checklist: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion. It is simple, memorable, and powerful. Yet, studies show that people often skip it or rush through it, especially under roster pressures or the silent cultural expectation to “tough it out” (Ackland et al., 2022). However, research highlights that skipping mental health checks is akin to ignoring a master caution light before take-off. A systematic review by Pasha and Stokes (2018) found that up to 12.6% of pilots experience symptoms of depression, often undetected and unreported. Fatigue, sleep disruption, and unprocessed stress accumulate invisibly, affecting reaction times, focus, emotional regulation, teamwork, and ultimately, safety across all aviation roles.
Implementing a structured mental health checklist is not complicated. It simply requires intention and honesty. Begin by scanning for internal turbulence. Ask yourself if you are feeling unusually stressed, angry, flat, or disconnected today. Check your cognitive fuel by assessing whether you feel rested enough to remain alert and clear-headed throughout your duty period. Look for hidden maintenance issues by reflecting on whether you have been ignoring worries, sadness, or anxiety, and whether these are beginning to affect your performance or well-being. Confirm your backup systems by reminding yourself who you can turn to if you notice something is off – a trusted colleague, peer support, family, friends, or a mental health professional. Finally, give yourself clearance to care. Acknowledging these signs is not a weakness – it is a mark of professionalism and maturity. It keeps you and everyone in the aviation ecosystem safe.
Aviation culture is gradually shifting. More airlines, maintenance organisations, and ground operations teams are recognising that mental health is not simply a matter of personal wellness; it is a safety standard. Normalising conversations about mental readiness and integrating mental health assessments into routine checklists prevents incidents before they occur, just as mechanical inspections do.
Before your next duty, pause for a moment. Place your hand on your chest, feel your breath, and ask yourself: Is my mind as ready for today’s operations as my equipment is? You are your most vital piece of equipment. Treat yourself with the same diligence, care, and respect you give the aircraft, systems, and people you serve – because your passengers, your colleagues, and your future self-depend on it.
References
- Ackland, M., Molesworth, B., Grisham, J., & Lovibond, P. (2022). Pilot mental health, methodologies, and findings: a systematic review. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 93(9), 739–748. https://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.6043.2022
- Arnsten, A. F. T. (2009). Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(6), 410–422. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2648
- McEwen, B. S., & Morrison, J. H. (2013). The brain on stress: vulnerability and plasticity of the prefrontal cortex over the life course. Neuron, 79(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.06.028
- Pasha, S., & Stokes, M. (2018). A systematic review of depression and suicide in commercial airline pilots. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 86. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00086
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