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:
Applying sport psychology to aviation: Ensuring resilient pilot performance through self-regulation techniques and tools.
WHAT?
Review exploring the possible contribution sport psychology can make to aviation training and operations through self-regulation techniques developed for sporting performance and used by elite athletes. These include the ability to consciously manage thoughts, emotions, attention and behaviour to maintain performance under conditions of stress and pressure.
WHERE?
Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.
WHEN?
Published 2026, in the Journal of Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors.
WHY?
Similar to pro athletes, professional pilots must consistently perform complex skills under stress, fatigue, time pressure and uncertainty. While technical flying skills are extensively trained, and group psychology and non-technical skills are covered in CRM, the individual psychological skills needed to optimise performance under such conditions receive less attention. The authors argue that aviation can benefit from decades of sports psychology research.
HOW?
The authors reviewed literature from sport psychology to identify self-regulation techniques with proven performance benefits and evaluated their relevance to both civil and military aviation. They examined individual psychological skills management, methods for training them, and technologies that could support their application.
The review identified five principal techniques:
Goal setting
- Visualisation (mental rehearsal)
- Self-talk
- Pre-performance routines
- Mindfulness.
It also discusses broader concepts including growth mindset and grit, together with enabling technologies such as virtual reality and physiological monitoring.
FINDINGS:
The study concludes that many psychological techniques routinely used in elite sport have direct relevance to aviation. Goal setting and visualisation improve preparation, self-talk helps regulate attention and confidence, pre-performance routines enhance consistency, and mindfulness strengthens attention control while reducing stress. Growth mindset and grit may improve long-term learning and resilience.
The authors also identify virtual reality and physiological monitoring as promising tools for developing and reinforcing these skills. Successful implementation, however, depends on integrating these techniques into existing CRM and other training programmes while fostering organisational support and psychological safety.
SO WHAT?
This paper provides a strong practical argument for introducing concepts from sport psychology into mainstream aviation human factors. Rather than introducing entirely new concepts, it offers evidence-based methods for strengthening competencies already central to CRM, TEM and EBT, including workload management, resilience, decision-making and recovery from startle or stress.
For trainers, it suggests that psychological skills such as visualisation, self-talk and structured pre-performance routines should become integrated into trainable operational competencies rather than remaining optional personal strategies. These self-regulation skills may become an important component of resilient pilot performance.
REFERENCE:
Caso, S., Vlaskamp, D., & Landman, A. (2026). Applying sport psychology to aviation: Ensuring resilient pilot performance through self-regulation techniques and tools. Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1027/2192-0923/a000315
competentaviators.com 