Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Oct 5, 2012 Viewing the ND TV Profit program on Kingfisher, about people not getting paid salaries and how it affects mental health,  I'm getting a painful banging in my head. It   has become very clear, as Capt Minoo Wadia said, "the minister does not understand what is aviation safety." This followed the mantri's remark on "it is the pilot's job to know....does he (pilot) not want to be safe himself?" I am afraid I have to disagree. How does a person who is depressed realise the state of his mind when he is not in a position to do so? Many years ago, I asked the then DGCA on whether health checks for pilots included mental health. I cannot forget his facial expression-it was as though I had dropped in from Mars. It was then that I realised we were in big trouble. "Safety is a major concern and if the minister can say, we haven't had a crash, this is a major concern," says  Wadia. "India's regulations ar...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews July 7, 2011 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should take steps to reduce the likelihood that pilot commuting practices will pose a safety risk, says a new report from the U.S- based National Research Council. With fatigue issues plaguing Indian pilots, the DGCA could use a few chapters from the report. The study was sponsored by the FAA.  The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.  They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter.  The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.   Some highlights: With insufficient data to determine the extent to which it poses a safety risk or whether commuting should be regulated, the FAA should support a study to gat...