The Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC), an advocacy group focused on aeromedical reform in the U.S., has praised Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s newly announced plan to modernize the nation’s air traffic control infrastructure, calling it a vital investment in aviation safety, but warned that more comprehensive aviation healthy policy reform is still needed. “Modernization of our nation’s air traffic control is long overdue,” said PMHC founder Brian Bomhoff. “These updates and upgrades will go a long way in ensuring our skies are safe for decades to come.”
However, Bomhoff stressed that technology alone is not enough, pointing to the importance of systemic reform in pilot and controller health policy. “Aeromedical reform, such as the Mental Health in Aviation Act (H.R. 2591), would support our nation’s air traffic controllers and pilots and their ability to maintain peak performance each and every day in some of the most intense and congested airspace in the world.”
PMHC also commended Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for his support of the $12.5 billion modernization initiative. PMHC executive director Chris Finlayson called the plan “a critical first step” but noted that real safety gains will require addressing a “punitive” medical certification process that, in his words, removes “elite, talented, dedicated pilots and controllers” from the workforce.