Regarding the Germanwings tragedy, I think there's a different discussion that should be being had; I am deeply concerned that it will result in legislation in Germany regarding the appointing to positions of authority of people with mental illnesses. The pilot's alleged history of depression is already circling through the media here and speaks to a grievous misunderstanding of the condition (IMO). As always, I'm interested in your take...?
Talk about hitting above ones’ weight class. Oh boy.
I believe there are already rules in place concerning physiological and psychological health for pilots. Lubitz seems to have flaunted those rules, out of fear that he would lose his career if he came forward - much like a pilot with a heart condition might. While it’s true that a more compassionate stance towards mental illness might have prevented him from feeling he needed to hide his struggle, there are no guarantees. The degree to which he was trusted to self-report “unfit to fly” conditions is, frankly, absurd. Why would the airline realistically expect pilots to report conditions that prevent them from flying, especially if they aren’t obvious? If a pilot with a physiological illness will hide it from his employers, why wouldn’t a pilot with a psychological illness? New rules that do not rely on self-reporting should not be seen as a slight against those with a mental illness, as a pilot with a physiological health condition could also endanger a flight, under the existing rules.
I can’t speak to any asinine regulations Germany has coming down the pipeline, but the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt has decided to mandate that two pilots be present in the cockpit at all times - which I do not think is asinine at all, and is not particularly discriminatory with regard to those with mental illness. It seems very fair, to me. A pilot with no health history could have just as easily endangered everyone, so having at least one additional human around seems pretty obvious.
I can only hope that the Germanwings tragedy results in a rationalization of the system, but I understand your concern. Misunderstanding of the nature of mental illnesses is the norm. I wish you the best.
