Dear Colleagues

The COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented in modern history and is touching all areas of our lives, made worse by the impact of 24 hour news and social media while in lockdown. New kinds of stresses and anxieties are surfacing and becoming increasingly frequent.

Although we are a remote workforce, be assured we are not alone. The Pilot Assistance Network (SpeedbirdPAN) has the experience to help pilots deal with all of life’s challenges, large or small.

We are now a group of 25 volunteer Peer Support Advisors who have received extensive training in listening and sign-posting skills. We have helped hundreds of pilots since our inception in January 2017 and are overseen by an independent healthcare provider, the Centre for Aviation Psychology. This ensures normal medical confidentiality for everyone using the service.

We encourage you to make contact with us and we welcome the opportunity to listen. Even if you are thinking that your issue might not be serious enough, contact us anyway. Pilots are intelligent, resourceful people and we pride ourselves on being able to cope with unusual events. There is no doubt we will get through this but just as on the flight
deck, life is a team game and we usually need the support of others during times of stress.

In addition, if you are concerned about a colleague, please encourage them to make contact with us or even contact us on their behalf. If a colleague’s partner or friend raises serious concerns with you, refer them to us also. Should someone contact us on your behalf, please see it as an act of caring and compassion rather than a breach of confidence.

Further information about the Pilot Assistance Network can be found in the Admin manual on Docunet or in the upcoming issue of BALPA’s ‘The Log’ magazine. 

Please commit our website name, www.speedbirdpan.com to memory because even if you are not in need of the service now, it could possibly help you or a colleague in the future. Looking out for each other, we can pull through this together
Pilot Assistance Network (SpeedbirdPAN)