Stress & Fatigue Management in Aviation - Full Extended Interview

Hi everyone!

In this interview, we sit down with Philippe Cabon, Co-Founder, Doctor, and Scientific Expert at Welbees, and Pauline Vrancken, Psychologist and Consultant at Welbees.

Together, Philippe and Pauline share insightful perspectives on what fatigue truly is, how it differs from simply being tired, and how stress, personal life circumstances, and major life-changing events such as COVID impact fatigue.

We also dive into Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS)—exploring their key elements, the importance of reporting, the need for a tailored approach, and how organisations can move beyond compliance to embrace fatigue management as a true safety culture.

This is a jam-packed lesson you won’t want to miss.

Fatigue, alongside safety, remains a critical topic across aviation and affects everyone—from pilots and maintenance personnel to engineers.

Enjoy!

WATCH NOW
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Inside this interview:

00:00 – Introduction & guest backgrounds

05:48 – Aviation and other industries: scope of fatigue management

06:58 – What is fatigue vs. being tired? Why it matters in aviation

10:08 – Fatigue awareness and its link to safety

14:26 – Microsleeps and sleep inertia

17:55 – Causes of fatigue and its impact on performance and judgement

20:46 – The impact of COVID on fatigue

23:10 – Fatigue culture across aviation sectors

32:40 – Chronotype, circadian rhythms, and gender differences

39:48 – The importance of a personalised approach

41:30 – Fatigue in airworthiness and maintenance

46:17 – Fatigue reporting

48:20 – Key elements of FRMS and the Fatigue Safety Action Group

54:24 – Moving from compliance to a fatigue-aware culture

01:00:24 – Reporting systems, confidentiality, and tailored solutions

01:03:27 – Prescriptive duty limits vs. FRMS

01:05:56 – Data sharing, FRMS challenges, and mindset change

01:15:12 – Risk perception and risk homeostasis

01:21:55 – Fatigue monitoring tools and biomathematical models (BMMs)

01:31:26 – Practical advice for managing fatigue

01:32:57 – Where to find Welbees and the guests

01:34:58 – How aviation compares to other industries

01:36:51 – Data supporting FRMS investment and presenteeism

01:40:41 – The “nappuccino”

Philippe Cabon

Co-founder Welbees & Scientific Expert

Philippe is Human Factors expert, co-founder of Welbees, and an Associate Professor in Human Factors at Université de Paris Cité (France). He holds a Master degree in Psychology, a Master degree in Neuroscience, a PhD from Paris Descartes University and a “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches” in Psychology. His expertise includes Human Factors and safety management in aviation, chronobiology, fatigue, sleep, workload and stress. Over the last 25 years Philippe has been in charge of conducting numerous projects on fatigue and sleep in various domain (aviation, transport, industry, etc.)

Pauline Vrancken

Psychologist -Occupational health and safety consultant

Pauline holds a Master's degree in Clinical Biological Psychology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, Belgium), where she was trained in nervous system psychology. She specialized in sleep and fatigue at the Sleep Laboratory (CHU Brugmann), where she became familiar with the clinical and research aspects of sleep and fatigue management. At the same time, her experience as a flight attendant led her into the world of aviation, and today to Welbees as a consultant in Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS), providing both consultancy and training on various aspects of occupational health.