ABSTRACT
Recognizing and managing stress on the flight deck has been identified as an important ingredient of flight safety (FAA, 1991). This pertains to one's own state of stress as well as that of other crew members. The underlying assumption is that stress can lead to errors, poor performance and bad decisions. However, even if one recognizes stress in oneself or in a fellow crewmember, what is one to do about it? Knowing that stress can be debilitating and recognizing its presence does not tell us what to do to resist its effects. In this paper I will describe a model of aviation decision making and suggest cognitive processes - the potential weak links - that may be vulnerable to stressors of various types on the flight deck. Techniques for mitigating the effects of stressors will then be considered.
