A free mentoring service and website designed to provide a one-stop-shop to support pilots across the aviation community has been launched.
Pilots across the aviation community have found themselves grounded, furloughed or displaced during the Coronavirus pandemic. Resilient Pilot, a not-for-profit initiative, offers free mentor support for pilots whether still in training, recently qualified or experienced, from a team of volunteer pilots.
In the absence of the support of the normal working and training environment, Resilient Pilot aims to provide important, industry connections and support to those pilots who seek it who may have found themselves in a period of furlough or displacement, or whilst awaiting employment opportunities.
Resilient Pilot co-founder, Senior First Officer Stuart Beech, said, “Our goal is to provide peer support through mentoring, and – ultimately – an extensive, independent resource library to help pilots remain connected and develop strategies to maintain competency and confidence.
“Wellbeing is at the heart of our model and we are focused on helping our colleagues to build and maintain resilience during this period of uncertainty.
“This week is Mental Health Awareness Week which calls upon everyone to encourage each other to talk and be kind. The current climate demonstrates the full importance of this and why now, more than ever, there is a need for Resilient Pilot.”
Also a co-founder of Resilient Pilot, Karen Bath FRAeS, continued, “Our mentors are all volunteers who are equally passionate about our industry and determined to help the pilot community remain connected. None of us professes to be an expert.
“Resilient Pilot is not about casting opinions or telling people what to do. We are about championing best practice and signposting useful resources to suit the needs of the pilot community. If we can’t help, we will do our best to find someone – or something – who can.”
In the first of a series of regular free webinars hosted by Resilient Pilot, John Strickland, a leading commentator on the airline sector for media worldwide including the BBC, Bloomberg and CNN, will deliver a 30-minute update on ‘The Future of the Aviation Industry’ followed by questions.
Places on the webinar are limited and must be pre-booked via the Resilient Pilot website.