article_snippet: With all the other fears -- terrorism, disappearances of planes, aircraft malfunctions -- how do I reassure my passengers that my passengers should not add medical illness, mental or otherwise, of the pilot to the list?
article_snippet: Sure, as with any profession, pilots have isolated cases of stress-related troubles.
article_snippet: One mechanism is very simple: Don't fly.
article_snippet: As a matter of fact, on every trip, I have to confirm that status before I electronically sign the flight plan.
article_snippet: Whether it's as simple as suffering from the common cold or suffering from the distraction of a nasty divorce, airline pilots can just say "no" to flying.
article_snippet: When it comes to experiencing stress, airline pilots are no different than anyone else.
article_snippet: I have been trained as a peer support volunteer in critical-incident stress management, a joint program between the pilots union and my airline uses as a debriefing method to talk pilots through any serious event experienced in flight.
article_snippet: If personal issues invade the cockpit, mechanisms are in place to assist.
article_snippet: At my airline, both the company and the pilot's union work in unison.
article_snippet: Programs to assist a pilot experiencing problems are just a phone call away.
article_snippet: In some circumstances a pilot can be removed from duty.
article_snippet: If passengers require reassurance of my sanity, then it would be best to more actively promote the mechanisms already in place.