Are You in the Green

The Pilot’s IMSAFE Check List

Use the IMSAFE Check List (FAR AIM 8-1-1.i | TC AC 700-047, CAR 602.02) as a self-assessment tool to determine physical and mental wellness before you fly.

Illness: Are you suffering from any illness or any symptom of illness that might affect you in flight?

Medication: Certain prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs can affect your fitness for duty.

Stress: Some pressures of everyday living can be stressful enough to impair pilot performance. They can be physiological (e.g., changing time zones), environmental (e.g., too hot or too cold), or psychological factors (e.g., emotional or mental fatigue).

Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol affects the brain, eyes, ears, motor skills, and judgment. Know your regulatory and company limits.

Fatigue: Have you had sufficient sleep and rest? Fatigue can affect your performance on the flight deck. Be responsible for knowing your own needs and limits.

Emotion: Certain emotionally upsetting events, such as a serious argument, death of a family member, and separation/divorce, can render a pilot unable to fly an aircraft safely. Are you in an emotionally stable mindset for departure?

If any of your answers cause you any concern, perhaps you should rethink your “fitness for flight.” Be responsible. Be safe. Call your ALPA pilot peer volunteer if you have questions or need assistance.

The Mental Health Continuum

The last evaluation component of IMSAFE is emotion, which addresses your mental well-being. Use the colors of the Mental Health Continuum chart as a guide to help you gauge the state of your mental health based on your attitude, behavior, and adherence to certain social norms. We all shift back and forth on this continuum throughout our lives.

Important Questions & Answers about the Continuum

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is a continuum ranging from healthy to ill. Many of us slide back and forth between healthy and reacting (possibly injured) on a regular basis.
The green side represents ideal mental health, while the red side represents severe mental illness that restricts one’s ability to function.

GREEN: “I’ve got this.”
Healthy: Normal fluctuations in mood. Takes things in stride. Consistent performance. Normal sleep patterns. Physically and socially active. Usual self-confidence. Comfortable with others.

YELLOW: “Something isn’t right.”
Reacting: Irritable or impatient. Nervousness. Sadness. Increased worrying. Procrastination. Forgetfulness. Trouble sleeping. Lowered energy. Difficulty relaxing. Intrusive thoughts. Decreased social activity.

ORANGE: “I can’t keep this up.”
Injured: Anger. Anxiety. Lingering sadness. Tearfulness. Hopelessness. Worthlessness. Preoccupation. Decreased in performance at work. Significantly disturbed sleep. Avoidance of social situations. Withdrawal.

RED: “I can’t survive this.”
Ill: Significant difficulty with emotions or thinking. High levels of anxiety. Panic attacks. Depressed mood. Feeling overwhelmed. Constant fatigue. Disturbed contact with reality. Significant disturbance in thinking. Suicidal thoughts, intent, or behavior.
Mental health can be tied to safety management and risk assessment for pilots. This is a great way to be able to correlate aviation with mental health. From a safety standpoint, the FAA recommends we identify hazards that could hinder our performance and therefore our safety while operating. Assessing our individual mental health through a personal, threat-forward briefing while using the IMSAFE Checklist allows us to identify if our mental health could be a safety risk. If we aren’t “in the green,” what strategies could we use to get ourselves back?

In the Green Podcasts

Tune in with host, Capt. J.R. Hall (JetBlue), as he explores mental wellness, self-care, and the power of peer connection with some special pilot guests.

Listen Now

Not in the Green?

Trained pilot volunteers from ALPA's Pilot Peer Support Group will help you navigate tough times and can offer resources for life's many stressors.

Call Now to Talk

More Help

About ALPA’s "Are You in the Green" Campaign

The “Are You in the Green” campaign is an Association-wide effort spearheaded by the ALPA Air Safety Organization’s (ASO) Pilot Assistance Group together with its Pilot Peer Support program. We are encouraging airline pilots to self-assess their emotional states and, if necessary, seek assistance through the union’s peer support programs. It's not just a question, it’s a call to action for ALPA pilots to foster a culture in which health, safety, and well-being take precedence, ensuring that every journey, both in the air and in our minds, is a smooth and supported one.

For more information, contact the administrators at:

F/O Carrie Braun (JetBlue), Chair, ALPA Pilot Peer Support
Capt. Elijah Nicolas (JetBlue), Vice Chair, ALPA Pilot Peer Support
Capt. April Abenza (JetBlue), Member, JBU PAN/Aeromedical Committee
Capt. Chris McCleskey (JetBlue), Vice Chair, ALPA-I Aeromedical Committee
Capt. Amanda Fallon (Piedmont), Member, Education Committee
Capt. Carlos Vilella (FedEx Express), SME, National Aeromedical
Candace Kolander, Pilot Assistance and Occupational Safety Specialist, ALPA Engineering & Air Safety Department

Volunteer to Be a Pilot Peer

If you're interested in helping your fellow pilots, join our Pilot Peer Support team by taking an upcoming training course.

Review Training Schedule

The Pilot’s IMSAFE Check List

The Mental Health Continuum

How do we describe mental health?

But what is a continuum?

How do we know where we are in the Mental Health Continuum?

What does it mean to be “in the green”?

How do we get back to green?

How can I describe this campaign to someone who doesn’t understand mental health?

In the Green Podcasts

Not in the Green?

About ALPA’s "Are You in the Green" Campaign

Volunteer to Be a Pilot Peer