Preparing Pilots for Pressure: Resilience, Confidence and Human Performance at APATS 2026

Modern pilot training has become highly effective at developing technical competence. Increasingly, however, the industry is asking how training can also strengthen the confidence, resilience and adaptability pilots need when operating under pressure.

How can training better prepare crews for those moments?

At APATS 2026, a series of Pilot Stream sessions will explore the human factors that underpin performance when it matters most. Bringing together airline practitioners, researchers and training innovators, the sessions examine resilience, confidence, cognitive flexibility and team dynamics, capabilities that are increasingly recognised as critical complements to technical competence. Through discussions on Evidence-Based Training (EBT), emerging AI-enabled training tools and new approaches to strengthening pilot adaptability, the programme offers valuable insights into how the industry can better prepare pilots for the realities of modern flight operations.

Moving Beyond Assessment-Driven EBT

The conversation begins on 1 September with a dual-presentation session on EBT.

Michael Varney, Founder and CEO of Salient and one of the original architects of EBT during his time at Airbus, will present a new framework for EBT programme design based on operational safety data and deliberate instructor coaching.

Drawing on experience from more than 90 airline clients worldwide, Varney argues that many EBT programmes have drifted toward becoming assessment-focused exercises rather than the developmental learning experiences they were intended to be. His proposed approach uses safety intelligence, operational vulnerability analysis and structured coaching interventions to create more targeted and effective training.

Complementing this perspective, Airbus A320 Captain with Etihad Airways, Cristian Mandu, will introduce a confidence-based robustness training framework designed to strengthen pilot confidence and resilience under pressure.

Mandu, who is also an instructor, examiner and trainer, argues that while competency-based training successfully develops technical competence, confidence remains largely overlooked. His framework focuses on the cognitive mechanisms that influence decision-making, adaptability and performance during high-workload situations, proposing practical methods to help pilots maintain effectiveness when stress levels rise.

The Psychology of Resilience

The first session of the afternoon expands the discussion by examining resilience from individual, instructional and team perspectives in a panel discussion.

Looking at how the industry trains for resilience, three practitioner-researchers address the problem from different angles. Captains Giacomo Belloni and Fabrizio Interlandi of the HUMAI Research Group explore the gaps within Evidence-Based Training, specifically on how competencies are deployed during demanding operational situations. Capt. Stefan Dudda of Etihad Aviation Training will then demonstrate how simulator scenarios and instructor feedback can either strengthen or undermine pilot confidence, providing practical insights for organisations seeking to improve resilience outcomes.

Widening the focus from the individual pilot to the crew as a team are Dr. Jordan Wareham, Senior Vice President, People and Learning at Gridiron Air, and Dr. Eric Olson, who leads a network of organizational and psychological consultants. Their findings identify supportive team culture, inclusive leadership and psychological safety as key drivers of team resilience.

Building Cognitive Flexibility

On Day 2, the late morning session will focus on building cognitive flexibility and resilience in pilots, looking at practical tools and techniques that training organisations can implement today.

Krisztian Makai, Founder and CEO of AviatePro Services Ltd., will examine how non-intrusive AI and computer-vision technologies can make human performance factors more visible during simulator training. Factors such as overload, startle response, authority gradients and resilience have traditionally been difficult to measure objectively, but Makai will show how that is changing with AI-supported analysis that can enhance instructor effectiveness.

The session concludes with Dr. Maneerat Tianchai, a lecturer in aviation from the University of Southern Queensland, who will present practical methods for strengthening cognitive flexibility and task-focused coping within existing CBTA programmes. Drawing on doctoral research involving both airline pilots and aviation students, Tianchai found that individuals with greater cognitive flexibility and stronger task-focused coping strategies reported lower levels of stress in high-risk situations.

Her presentation will introduce simple interventions that can be incorporated into existing training without requiring additional simulator time. These include "Switch-Thinking Drills," which encourage pilots to adapt rapidly to changing circumstances, and a "Three-Step Action Plan" designed to help pilots maintain focus and prioritise effectively during high-workload situations.

A New Direction for Pilot Training

These three sessions offer a glimpse into some of the most important conversations shaping the Pilot Stream at APATS 2026, where industry leaders are increasingly looking beyond what pilots know and what they can do to focus on what enables them to access and apply those capabilities effectively when operating under stress, uncertainty and complexity. Whether through enhanced coaching, confidence-building frameworks, resilience-focused team development, AI-supported performance analysis or cognitive flexibility training, the Pilot Stream provides valuable insight into the future of pilot development.

As automation continues to transform aviation, the industry's greatest advantage may not be creating more automated pilots, but developing more resilient human ones.

To explore the full APATS 2026 conference programme, click here.

Ready to join the conversation? Register for APATS 2026 here.