Exploring USHST’s New Peer Support Program
December 19, 2024
Jessica Meiris
If you’ve been paying attention to the mental health conversation in aviation lately, you may have noticed a slight shift in tone.
First, let’s back up a bit. As you’re likely aware, several disastrous accidents and incidents related to pilot mental health have occurred in recent years. Often, the knee-jerk reaction was to implement new policies and procedures rather than address the root cause of the problems. While these policies may serve an overall positive safety purpose, they generally offer only a “band-aid fix” to a much larger, profusely bleeding wound. It seems as though uncovering the true root cause— the lack of quality mental health care in aviation—suddenly became less important simply because it was easier to avoid the issue. Instead of policies, we need to delve deeper into the human factors behind these incidents—the “why” behind a person’s actions.
The FAA and other organizations acknowledge that pilots, mechanics, and crew face an extreme amount of disruption, pressure, and stress compared to other careers, not to mention the additional factors from their personal lives that may contribute to their overall mental health. However, instead of supporting them in addressing these factors healthily, the FAA has largely made it shameful for pilots to disclose mental health concerns, whether past or present, and even put their certificates at risk. It’s ignorant to believe there isn’t a clear link between mental and physical health. When sleep deprivation, extensive travel, long shifts, and lack of access to healthy food or exercise become the norm, there’s no doubt this will impact mental health! Recently, the FAA has acknowledged that there are more effective ways to support a struggling pilot or crewmember, that some ailments are easily treatable with minimal impact on work life, and that long-term healing is possible with the right care.
To strengthen the structure of pilot mental health support, many Part 121 operators have introduced peer-based programs, along with additional wellness resources such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) has recognized the need for a Peer Pilot Program (PPP). This initiative is led by Industry Chair Chris Baur and the newly formed USHST Foundation. The USHST is proud to announce the first Peer Pilot Program (PPP) for helicopter pilots, independent of the FAA and the workplace, professionally administered, completely confidential, and free to participants.
The PPP is a volunteer peer-based program where a helicopter pilot dealing with a personal or professional issue can consult with an industry peer volunteer about non-life-threatening mental well-being concerns. The volunteers are experienced colleagues who understand the helicopter profession and identify with the pressures and risks—both real and perceived—that helicopter pilots and crew face. They possess a deep desire to assist colleagues going through difficult times. The peer pilots are non-judgmental, with access to a wide variety of resources that can direct a pilot in distress to more advanced or appropriate care if needed. Peer volunteers receive professional training and undergo regular assessments on how to handle a variety of scenarios, and they can listen and respond with empathy and compassion. They are supervised by an appointed mental health professional, and all parties involved maintain confidentiality to protect the privacy of those seeking help. The service is completely free.
You can support this initiative by purchasing USHST-branded merchandise at USHST Helicopter Safety Store. Show your pride in the US Helicopter Community and have confidence that every purchase supports the USHST and the Peer Pilot Program.
The USHST Peer Pilot Program will kick off during VERTICON in Dallas on March 10-13, 2025, with several supporting events. Baur will announce the program launch on Monday, March 10, at 2:45 PM at the USHST All Hands Seminar and on Wednesday, March 13, at 10:00 AM at the VERTICON Safety Town Hall entitled “Are We Truly Fit to Fly? Rotor Resilience: Strengthening Mental Health in Vertical Aviation.” An industry Peer Pilot Mental Health Panel will take place the following afternoon, Thursday, March 14. To register for VERTICON, visit VERTICON.org.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please submit your expression of interest and CV to info@USHST.org with “PPPVolunteer” in the subject line. More information about how to access the services provided by the PPP is forthcoming!