THE MIND CRAFT PROJECT – HEALTHY MINDS, HEALTHY PILOTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW ON MINDFULNESS MEDITATION PROGRAMS FOR COMMERCIAL AIRLINES PILOTS

Following the 2015 Germanwings crash, aviation agencies around the world have drawn up new policies relating to management and monitoring of the mental health of pilots. The Mind Craft Project is a literature review that provides an overview of current practices in mindfulness meditation programs in the aviation industry and propose new mind-body programs for pilots for implementation. Mental health is an important issue for the aviation industry as it directly impacts on the wellbeing of pilots. Moreover, a pilot’s mental health can directly affect the safety of passengers and needs to be treated as a public safety issue.

This literature review has demonstrated that the implementation of a mindfulness training program could be a feasible and acceptable method for implementation in a commercial aviation environment to help ease stress, increase concentration and assist in mental health risk management. A few potential limitations to mindfulness interventions were uncovered such as the effectiveness of mindfulness for suicidal tendencies, and cultural behaviors in regards to mental health issues in the aviation industry. However, further research needed as there has been little research conducted on mind-body programs for commercial airline pilots. Recommendations were provided for a follow-up long term study.