Who Can We Trust Behind the Cockpit Door?
Commercial aviation relies on a comprehensive framework of training, medical assessment, simulator evaluation, licence verification, security screening and regulatory oversight to ensure that pilots are capable of operating aircraft safely. However, beyond technical competence, airlines must also consider judgement, professionalism, communication skills and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
While modern pilot recruitment incorporates psychological assessments, aptitude testing and competency-based evaluation, the aviation industry continues to explore how best to balance objective testing with experienced professional judgement when selecting individuals entrusted with the safety of hundreds of passengers.
Published: 6 November 2026
Written by: Shreya Majumder
The commercial aviation sector has a very complex safety process including Medical testing, simulator testing, aptitude testing, psychological testing, licence verification, security and extensive training. But the hard part comes from asking: Who can we trust with hundreds of lives?
When flying, most will rarely consider who is behind the cockpit door. Instead, they trust the processes in place to ensure that pilots are suitable, competent and qualified to carry out the role. This is one of the key aspects of commercial aviation. However, recent events have highlighted the continuing importance of the human element.
Human Element of Safety
Safety improvements have often focused on the aircraft. Over the years, aviation has introduced more reliable engines, additional backup systems, more accurate navigation technologies and improved maintenance practices. But as the aircraft have become safer the focus started to shift to the pilots. Crew Resource Management, Threat and Error Management, Fatigue Management, Safety Management Systems and human factors training were implemented. These developments reinforced the understanding that, even with highly reliable aircraft, human performance remains critical. Are we now equally advanced at evaluating our pilots?
Previous Tragedies
Several aviation events have highlighted the importance of this issue:
September 11th Attacks
The September 11th attacks highlighted the dangers of individuals with malicious intent gaining control of an aircraft. Major changes were subsequently made to cockpit security, reinforced cockpit doors and wider aviation security procedures.
Germanwings (2015)
The First Officer intentionally locked the captain out of the cockpit. This resulted in the aircraft beginning to descend and ultimately all 150 people onboard died. After the investigation it was discovered that the pilot had had mental health issues in the past. This highlighted the difficult balance between patient confidentiality and keeping aviation safe.
We would never want to exclude pilots with mental health issues. However, creating a culture in which pilots do not feel comfortable seeking help can introduce safety risks of its own. Pilots should feel confident to seek confidential help, but we must have processes in place to ensure that individuals who may pose a genuine safety risk are appropriately assessed. Therefore, there is a balance to be struck between supporting the pilot and keeping the passenger safe.
Pilot Evaluation
Modern pilots can be evaluated on a wide range of attributes. This includes technical knowledge, cognitive ability, psychomotor skills, personality characteristics, scenario-based assessment, as well as medical and security screening. However, some attributes can be difficult to evaluate. Professionalism, attitude, communication skills and performance under pressure can be more difficult to evaluate.
Traditionally pilots would have a large amount of experience as they would have been employed by the airline. They would have a proven track record. They would have experience flying with a variety of crews, they would have dealt with difficult situations, made quick decisions and have a professional reputation. Often, they would have known how they would act in difficult situations from other colleagues and senior pilots.
However pilot training has evolved meaning some pilots entering the airline cockpit don’t have the same level of experience. This can make aspects of a pilot's professional background more difficult to assess. However, this does not mean that modern pilots are not being evaluated effectively, it means there should be a balance between objective and experienced evaluation.
Experienced Pilots
Traditionally experienced pilots would play a vital role in pilot recruitment. Experienced senior pilots have often flown with a wide variety of crews throughout their careers.
They will have experienced a variety of personalities and behaviours. They would have seen how people act when tired, frustrated, challenged and under pressure. They will have experience working with good communicators and poor communicators. Confident, arrogant, assertive and poor team players. Pilots who admit their mistakes and those that don’t. While this cannot replace psychological testing, it can complement it.
Experienced operational pilots can ask simple questions but can gain a lot of information.
Why did you leave your last employer?
Can you tell me about a time when you disagreed with another Captain?
What is the worst decision you have made in an aircraft?
Have you ever made a mistake?
What would your last Chief Pilot say about you?
It may not be the answers they give but their reasoning, self-awareness and attitude. We aren’t looking for someone with no mistakes. We are looking for how they handle mistakes.
Due Diligence
Pilot recruitment is only as effective as the information available about a candidate.
Carefully look at their history, references and professional background.
Organisations should have processes in place to identify genuine safety concerns.
There could be an argument that pilot suitability should be an ongoing process.
People, situations and behaviour can all change.
We already require pilots to prove they can still handle technical failures, abnormal and emergency situations. This should also be applied to human factors. It isn’t about creating a culture of monitoring but if a pilot is behaving in a concerning manner it should be identified. We should encourage pilots to responsibly seek support.
Future Pilot Recruitment
Using a data-driven approach can help identify attributes which are difficult to consistently evaluate. Using psychological testing can provide structure. Using simulator sessions can show how they perform operationally. Medical and security processes will also increase safety. However, using experienced aviation professionals can give context. Perhaps the best way to recruit pilots is to have a good balance between objective evidence and professional insight.
Instead of asking: Will this candidate pass the recruitment process? Airlines should be asking: What do we know about this person? How will they fit in with other professionals? Can we trust their judgement in difficult situations? This is an important question to ask as the cockpit is not a typical working environment. They will be flying with another pilot for many hours so must have good communication. They must challenge each other and accept criticism. They shouldn’t let personal issues or ego affect safety.
Technical skills are vital. But their judgement, personality, professionalism and trust is also vital.
Trust Behind the Cockpit Door
A lot of time has been invested into ensuring the aircraft, systems and processes are safe, meaning commercial aviation is one of the safest ways to travel long distances. However, there will always be a human element. Ultimately every flight will rely on individual decision making. Modern pilot recruitment processes are robust, but the industry should continue refining how it combines psychological testing, operational evaluation, due diligence, medical assessment and experienced professional judgement. Passengers don’t need to know who the pilots are or their background. They just need to be confident that they have been selected as they can fly the aircraft and can be trusted to make good decisions when things go wrong.
Key Facts
Commercial aviation uses multiple layers of pilot evaluation, including medical, technical, aptitude, psychological and security assessments.
Major aviation events have reinforced the importance of evaluating both technical competence and human factors.
Crew Resource Management (CRM), Threat and Error Management (TEM) and Safety Management Systems (SMS) were developed to improve the human side of aviation safety.
The Germanwings tragedy highlighted the complex relationship between pilot wellbeing, confidentiality and flight safety.
Modern pilot assessment includes technical, cognitive, psychomotor and behavioural evaluation.
Experienced airline captains and training pilots can provide valuable operational insight during recruitment processes.
Due diligence, employment history and professional references remain important elements of pilot selection.
Pilot suitability should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than a one-time recruitment decision.
Airlines increasingly combine objective testing with experienced professional judgement when evaluating candidates.
Safe aviation depends not only on technical skill, but also on judgement, professionalism, communication and trust.
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Author: Shreya Majumder Aviation staffing and consultancy insights LinkedIn
