I bring you a weekly bite-sized chunk of the science behind helicopter human factors and CRM in practice, simplifying the complex and distilling a helicopter related study into a summary of less than 500 words.
TITLE:
Emotions-based training: Enhancing aviation performance through self-awareness and mental preparation, coping with stress and emotions
WHAT?
The study explores how psychological and emotional training methods from high-level sports can enhance pilots’ performance, resilience, and safety. It introduces “Emotions-Based Training” as a complement to current Evidence-Based Training and CRM frameworks, emphasising self-awareness as a foundational competency for effective decision-making under stress.
WHERE?
France.
WHEN?
Presented to 2nd International Conference on Cognitive Aircraft Systems (ICCAS) 2024.
WHY?
Pilots still face rare, high-stress events: “the black swan,” that challenge cognitive control. Current training focuses heavily on procedures but neglects emotional regulation and individual stress management. Since cognitive performance depends on emotional stability, enhancing self-awareness and stress-coping abilities is vital for handling unexpected situations effectively.
HOW?
Study by an independent aviation consultant. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and sports science, it maps techniques such as mental imagery, controlled breathing, relaxation, perspective shifting, and self-talk to aviation scenarios. It uses examples of major airline accidents to illustrate how stress-induced cognitive impairment undermines performance. The paper aims to integrate these insights into existing EBT competency models, proposing “self-awareness” as the central skill supporting both technical and non-technical competencies.
FINDINGS:
- Stress and emotion significantly affect executive functioning, communication, and decision-making.
- Many aviation accidents result not from technical failures but from cognitive overload and inappropriate emotional responses.
- Psychological tools from sports—mental imagery, breathing, relaxation, acceptance, self-talk—can help pilots regain focus and adaptability.
- Self-awareness is undertrained due to cultural, regulatory, and instructional barriers.
- Integrating emotional regulation into pilot training would improve both individual performance and crew coordination.
SO WHAT?
This paper calls for a paradigm shift from procedural training to a more holistic pilot development. Embedding self-awareness and emotion management into the core of aviation competencies, will teach flight crews to maintain cognitive control under stress, leading to greater resilience and flight safety.
The study positions Emotions-Based Training as a necessary evolution of current EBT and CRM frameworks.
REFERENCE:
Beltran, F. (2024). Emotions-Based Training: Enhancing Aviation Performance Through Self-Awareness and Mental Preparation, Coping with Stress and Emotions. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Cognitive Aircraft Systems (ICCAS 2024) (pp. 21–28). SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. https://doi.org/10.5220/0012924000004562
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