Marc Launey explores the psychological life of pilots — the anxiety, the burnout, the identity, the pressure aviation never prepares you for. The conversations the industry has been afraid to have, finally out loud.
There is a profound gap at the heart of aviation. Pilots are trained to handle every mechanical failure, every weather system, every emergency procedure. But the psychological life of the pilot — the anxiety, the burnout, the identity, the fear of losing everything — that conversation simply doesn't happen.
Pilot Psychology exists to change that. Through long-form podcast conversations, written essays, and a growing community, Marc creates the space that aviation culture has never allowed — where pilots are treated as the complex human beings they actually are.
"The cockpit is one of the most psychologically demanding environments on earth. We just never talk about it that way."
— Marc LauneyMarc Launey sits at the intersection of aviation and psychology. His work is built on a single conviction: that the inner lives of pilots matter — not just as a safety issue, but as a human one.
With deep immersion in the world pilots actually inhabit and a researcher's commitment to evidence, Marc brings together the voices, studies, and experiences that aviation culture has spent decades suppressing.
The podcast and essays are direct, rigorous, and built for pilots, psychologists, and anyone who cares about human performance at the edge of pressure.
The stigma, the medical certificate fear, the anxiety carried in silence. The conversations aviation actively suppresses.
Fatigue, situational awareness, cognitive load, flow states. The neuroscience of what keeps pilots sharp — and what doesn't.
CRM, authority gradients, stress inoculation. How pilots actually think in the moments that count.
Identity, transitions, burnout, retirement. The psychological arc of an aviation career — the chapters nobody prepares you for.
Each episode goes deep on one aspect of pilot psychology — with guests, research, and the kind of candour the industry has never made space for. No soundbites. No platitudes. Real conversations about what it actually costs to be a pilot.
Start with Episode 001 — "Why Pilots Don't Talk About Mental Health." The manifesto episode. Sets the tone for everything.
Start listening →Long-form writing on human factors, career psychology, mental health in aviation, and the science of pilot performance.
Read the essays →Guest appearances, collaborations, speaking, sponsorships, or just a conversation — Marc is building something open to the right people.
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