This book came into being in the aftermath of the tragedy of the Germanwings flight 9525. Although that tragic accident was the motivation for this book, we decided to leave it in the background, abstaining ourselves from opinions or judgments. Therefore, we did not indulge in psychopathic analysis or judgments, nor scrutinize the ins and outs of the pilot’s biography to get pieces of evidence, nor confirming simplistic theories.

The objective of this book is to go beyond the personal story. We intend to study the condition of the airline pilot today, who notwithstanding the continual introduction of technology, is still a human being anchored to individual and social dynamics, from which he/she cannot escape.

As we remind in many parts, we are not islands but peninsulas. We maintain a life-long connection to our origins, which determine our roots and our cultural and social constraints. Being a pilot today is not only a job but a lifestyle that is increasingly affected by requests for exasperated productivity and accompanied by levels of psychological alienation, both cultural and social, which can provoke a phenomenon of uneasiness, leading in some cases to burnout.

As we will see, burnout is a psychological syndrome, which breaks out from individuals, making them exhausted and demotivated. Therefore, it is necessary for them to rely on their individual resilience and abilities to establish long-term relationships and to recognize their own limitations, resources, and non-technical skills to approach life within organizations. As often happens in aviation, we shall analyze this problem and its relation to flight safety.