Release of World-First General Aviation Survey Results
July 2026
Navigating Aviation Publishes Australia's First National Research into General Aviation Culture and Wellbeing
For the past two years, Navigating Aviation has been running a national program to understand and improve psychosocial safety and wellbeing across Australian general aviation. That work is now complete, and today we're publishing the research and the results.
The work was a federally funded, three-phase program, delivered in partnership with Bastion Insights, and it produced the first evidence base of its kind for the Australian general aviation sector.
What we set out to do
General aviation in Australia has never had a national picture of what life is actually like for the people working and training in it. We wanted to change that, and then use what we found to do something practical about it.
The program had three phases:
Phase 1, 2024: The National General Aviation Culture and Wellbeing Survey. In partnership with Bastion Insights, we surveyed current and former general aviation workers across the country, the first study of its kind in Australia.
Phase 2, 2025 to 2026: The Leadership, Culture and Visibility Program. Using what the survey told us, we delivered workshops, one-on-one counselling, and leadership engagement across regional charter, flight training, engineering and maintenance, and aeromedical operators.
Phase 3, 2026: Independent evaluation. Bastion Insights independently evaluated the program's outcomes, so the results you're seeing are not just our own account of how it went.
What the research found
The survey gave us a clear, and at times confronting, picture of the sector. More than half of respondents said their work had negatively affected their mental health. Women in general aviation reported gender bias at more than double the rate of men, 59 percent compared with 27 percent, and sexual harassment at more than double the rate too, 26 percent compared with 10 percent. Across the board, reporting rates for these issues were low, and satisfaction with how reports were handled was lower still.
The reasons people gave for staying silent were consistent: fear of losing their licence, their medical certification, or their job. That fear was strongest among younger workers, the people the industry most needs to retain.
We didn't publish these findings to shock anyone. We published them because you can't fix a problem the industry has never had the evidence to name.
What two years of program delivery achieved
Over the twelve month delivery phase, we ran 14 workshops for 278 participants, provided 90 confidential counselling and mentoring sessions, and carried out 42 leadership engagements, reaching more than 500 people across flight training, engineering, charter and aeromedical operations.
The independent evaluation found 94 percent of workshop participants were satisfied or very satisfied, and 98.8 percent of program participants agreed that aviation specific counselling would benefit the sector. Among those who took part in counselling, 80 percent were very satisfied and 89 percent said they were more likely to seek mental health support in future as a result.
Just as importantly, 58 percent of survey and program participants were men.
Cultural change in aviation doesn't happen without the people who hold structural power in the industry, and this program was built to reach them, not just the people most affected.
Why this matters beyond aviation
We built this as an aviation specific model because aviation has specific risks, from the way authority is held in a cockpit or a flight operations department, to the fear of losing a licence for speaking up. But the underlying problem, a workforce that doesn't feel safe naming what's happening to them, and leaders who need practical tools rather than more policy, isn't unique to aviation. The model we've built, research, leadership engagement, and confidential support delivered together, is proven and it's transferable to any industry with similar pressures.
Where this goes next
The research and the full findings are available on this page for anyone in the industry, government, or insurance sector who wants to see the evidence for themselves. We're continuing to work with operators, regulators and insurers to keep this work going beyond the grant that funded it, because two years was enough to prove the model works. It's not enough to finish the job.
If you want to talk to us about bringing this program into your organisation, or about what the research means for your sector, get in touch.
THE 5 KEY FINDINGS
01.
Many across the GA sector have concerns about mental health
Our findings suggest that the sector as a whole is not managing mental health challenges as well as it could or should be. With an increasing shortage of qualified workers across the sector, it’s imperative that the mental health of workers is actively considered to ensure safe and sustainable GA operations into the future.
02.
GA needs to address the culture of silence
While many across the sector are thriving, our results suggest those experiencing mental health challenges are not encouraged to either raise this with their employer or to engage in support they may need for fear of impacting their career and livelihood. This likely further compounds the stress and isolation these workers experience and negatively impacts the risk profile of their respective workplaces.
03.
Younger GA workers need better support
Across the findings, younger industry participants were found to be experiencing mental health challenges at much higher levels than their older peers. The sector needs to consider how it is engaging and training this next generation –not only to ensure they are retained in the sector but also to ensure they are positive advocates for the sector to other young people considering aviation careers.
04.
More than half feel working in GA without adequate support negatively affects mental health
Key reasons provided for this include the perceived toxic workplace culture that they endure including bullying and verbal abuse, unprofessional behaviour, poor communication, being subject to threats and intimidation as well as a general lack of appreciation or recognition. Some mentioned experiencing discrimination, particularly gender-based. Lack of training and support in the role was also noted.
05.
Fear of losing job or career main barrier to speaking up on mental health
The survey suggests there is a need for some significant cultural and potentially regulatory reform in terms of ensuring those experiencing mental health challenges get the support they need. This is likely to require industry education & training, as well as better understanding of mental health issues from a regulatory and licencing perspective.
