AFAP Supporting Members
AFAP continues to provide confidential support to members across a broad range of operational, training, and wellbeing matters. This includes helping members navigate safety interview processes, offering guidance on rights and expectations, and responding to urgent enquiries through the hotline. Members have also received assistance following technical issues, operational events, and situations requiring clarification or support during reporting or follow-up discussions.
We have additionally been supporting individuals with training and performance concerns, simulator or checking issues, and employment-related questions. Operational teams have also sought guidance on crew interactions, workplace challenges, and wellbeing matters, including post-event care and ongoing follow-up. Across all of these areas, our focus remains on ensuring members feel informed, supported, and confident throughout any safety or operational process.
Safety Interview Supporters (SIS)
The AFAP recently provided training to new SIS reps the day prior to the annual AFAP Convention (October). CASA observed this course with positive feedback received. This expands the resource for support post a safety or performance event in additional to AFAP staff and reps. Contact the AFAP to find out if your council has a trained supporter.
AFAP Safety Occurrence guide
The Benefits of Using the AFAP Safety Occurrence Guide
When pilots face a safety or performance-related event, it is often unexpected, unfamiliar, and emotionally challenging. The AFAP Safety Occurrence Guide was developed to give pilots clarity in these moments, helping them understand what to expect, how the safety process works, and why seeking early support makes a difference. Its core purpose is simple: empower pilots with knowledge, strengthen positive safety culture, and ensure they are never navigating the process alone.
A key benefit of the guide is its emphasis on immediate action and early support. By contacting the AFAP as soon as possible—via the office or the 24/7 emergency hotline—pilots can receive timely advice that often leads to more favourable outcomes and quicker returns to line duties. The guide also demystifies the involvement of stakeholders such as company safety teams, training departments, CASA, and the ATSB, providing a clear framework that protects pilots’ rights and wellbeing.
The guide outlines the essential steps following an occurrence: making the aircraft safe, managing yourself, fulfilling reporting obligations, and preparing for potential interviews or safety meetings. These practical tools give pilots confidence and help them engage constructively with the process rather than feeling overwhelmed by it.
Importantly, the guide recognises that human stress responses are normal after a safety event. By helping pilots understand reactions such as catastrophising, replaying the event, or heightened anxiety, the guide supports emotional regulation and resilience. Techniques such as deactivating the parasympathetic nervous system and staying connected with an AFAP representative can stabilise stress and support recovery.
Underpinning the guide is a strong commitment to positive safety culture and Safety II thinking. Pilots are encouraged to view themselves not as the problem but as essential contributors to a safety system capable of adaptation and improvement. The guide also integrates competency-based language and offers access to AFAP’s wider support network, including one-on-one guidance and the 24/7 confidential Member Assistance Program.
Whether preparing factual summaries, navigating safety meetings, or managing the emotional impact of an event, pilots benefit from clear expectations, practical tools, and trusted support. The AFAP Safety Occurrence Guide ensures that a challenging moment becomes an opportunity for learning, professionalism, and growth—reinforcing that no pilot must face the safety process alone.