AOPA to Spotlight Pilot Mental Health in May

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) announced a month-long effort at SUN ‘n FUN to highlight mental health in May in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month. The effort is designed to deliver meaningful education, training, and resources to general aviation pilots and flight instructors.It builds on 24 recommendations released by the FAA's Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearance Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), in which AOPA participated. Those recommendations were designed to address barriers that prevent pilots from disclosing and seeking care for mental health issues."For too long, pilots have faced an impossible choice: seek help for a mental health condition, or protect their medical certificate," said AOPA Acting Co-President Katie Pribyl. "Our goal is to highlight resources many may not know exist, efforts underway now to simplify disclosing mental health conditions, and the stories of pilots who have successfully won the fight to get their medical certificate back." "We've seen progress on this important topic over the years—and Congress is getting closer to passing the Mental Health in Aviation Act, which is another step in the right direction," said AOPA Acting Co-President Jill Baker. "However, there are still hurdles to overcome. The stigma around mental health in aviation will take time to subside, and pilots need better education about what seeking treatment actually means for their certificate—both of which are reasons we are focusing on this important issue." Throughout May, AOPA will highlight mental health through: Feature articles in _AOPA Pilot_ and _Flight Training_ magazines A special edition of AOPA's weekly ePilot newsletter Two new series in Expert Insights, a new video franchise from the AOPA Air Safety Institute Advocacy updates on legislative and regulatory developments Webinars open to members and the broader GA communitySocial media content A new AOPA member benefit and resources for flight instructors, the details of which will be released in the coming weeks At the end of the month, AOPA will consolidate all of this into a permanent mental health resource center at aopa.org.