How to deal with COVID-19 as a pilot

If you are a pilot in commercial air transport of passengers the last months have been quite something. I am a pilot based in London LGW and my last flight was to Austin on the 14th of March. Almost two months ago.

It all started with some news about a virus that was spreading. This virus was coming from China apparently. You know it is getting serious when governments are starting to take action. In my case I was already in London because I had simulator sessions before the flight. One thing was different however during those days. The news kept getting worse and worse. Governments are talking about lockdowns and in Italy the lockdown was already a fact.

As I had my Operator Proficiency Check, this would not renew my license. My simpartner and I were talking about this and it would be smart to renew my license to have it valid for 6 months longer. I discussed it with the examiner. But…

Bad luck.. He could do a License Proficiency Check only if had reported this to the Dutch Authorities 48 hours before the exam.. So too late.

The day after the OPC I had my flight to Austin. I met up with the crew and ofcourse the talk of the day was the virus. Once on board we had something else to focus on. Which is exactly why crew is so good at their job. We can have fun and talk about loads, but when the job needs to be done, we switch and do the job good and professional. That’s in my opinion something unique about aviation.

 When the job needs to be done, we do it good and professional

As the flight continued we got more information. It resulted in us thinking about the option to go straight home in case of a lockdown in the States or if there would be no more flights inbound LGW. In the end crew control told us to go to the hotel. We were in contact with them every day and we would go home either operating or dead heading. So we made peace with that thought and enjoyed ourselves as we would normally do in Austin. Well… with some worrying moments and calls to the family at home.

 The flight back was a bit different than expected. A positioning flight from Austin to JFK, then dead head with our airline back to Gatwick. Felt like a roadtrip. We were treated by JetBLue like royalty. They knew we were airline crew trying to get home and made sure we had everything we wanted. Another unique asset in aviation where crew always takes care of other crew.

 Crew takes care of other crew, even if not from their own airline

Back in Gatwick it was a short commute home  for me. We had a group app made in Austin and we all made sure everybody was back home safe.

 The big fall into emptiness

 As soon as I got home the news was worse and worse. People dying and getting ill. First it was said that the normal flu killed more people than COVID-19. But this was not true. There was so much news thrown around. These days were booming for papers, newswebsites etc. It at one moment seemed to me like if you had the most devastating headline to reel people in you would be the winner. I decided to skip all the hot news items and focus on one thrustworthy objective news site.

I also stopped following some groups on whatsapp. I banned facebook and Instagram already long ago. No more fake news, or news trying to get my attention or making thing worse than they actually are.

 Focus on objective news

 This settled my mind a bit. Because uncertain times were going strong. I lost my flying job already 6 years ago due to a stroke. But fought to get back in the cockpit. I knew I had to do the same thing now. Its easy to lay back and wait what happens and take action after. But it may be too late. So what did I do?

1.    What is my goal. (This is my personal goal and can be different for anyone)

-       To ensure income

-       To have a job in aviation, preferably as a pilot

2.    What are the facts.

-       I was still employed

-       My airline was not bankrupt yet, but in a financial difficult situation

-       Flights would not continue for several months

3.    What are the options

-       I could do nothing and enjoy my free time at home

-       I could start applying for jobs

-       I could chose to do something else than flying and focus on that

4.    What are the risks and benefits of those options.

-       All options have risks, those risks are different for everybody and with this COVID-19 sometimes you have to assess to risks without complete information

5.    Make a plan.

-       I made a short term plan and a long term plan

-       The short term plan was applying for airline jobs still available and enjoy time at home which also was homeschooling for the kids!

-       The long term plan was applying for jobs if aviation would not ramp up anytime soon

6.    Execute the plan.

-       Start applying and making sure all your documentation is complete and gathered

7.    Evaluate.

-       Check if what you decided brings you closer to your goal

The above was based on information known at a certain time. I have to admit, my first plan was to wait a bit and gather more information, simply because I saw my salary would be paid and this gave me time. If you can create time before making a decision this will give less stress and you can make a better decision. It also gives you some rest and time to focus on other things, maybe more important at that time. Like coping with the thought that you may lose your job, or what was happening in the world, the lockdowns etc. Because if you don’t deal with those thoughts, they will come back later to haunt you.

 Create time to make a better decision based on more and better information.

 As time progresses more information will come to you. Don’t be afraid to go through the steps again. This is actually the last step in the process: Evaluate. Take some time to check if what you decided works.

Nowadays life in aviation can be very uncertain. You could have already lost your job or about to lose your job. Even the people still employed are not sure. But if you follow the steps mentioned above you can and will survive COVID-19. I know being a pilot is everything I ever wanted and pilots are a special kind of people with an amazing skillset not recognized always in other professions. But we never give up. Always keep fighting for the best, wanting to do the best. Stay strong and I hope the steps above will help you get through this.

How to survive COVID-19:

 1. What is my goal

2. What are the facts

3. What are the options

4. What are the risks and benefits of those options

5. Make a plan

6. Execute the plan

7. Evaluate