Building Bridges

Abstract

Free AccessBuilding BridgesMichaela Schwarz and Melanie ToddMichaela Schwarz European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP), Vienna, Austria Search for more papers by this author and Melanie Todd Australian Aviation Psychology Association (AAvPA), Melbourne, Australia Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:April 02, 2020https://doi.org/10.1027/2192-0923/a000187PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit SectionsMoreSince 1956 the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) has been promoting the study of psychology and the scientific pursuit of applied psychology and human factors in the field of Aviation. In 1992 the Australian Aviation Psychology Association (AAvPA) was founded to join forces to raise awareness of aviation psychology and human factors in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Melanie Todd, at the time AAvPA Secretary and I had the pleasure to serve on the AAvPA Board from 2008 to 2010. Together with the rest of the AAvPA executive, we worked hard to bring Aviation Psychology and Human Factors down under closer to Europe and vice versa. Our main levers back then were promoting each other’s bi-annual conferences/symposia, training courses and facilitating a close network between EAAP and AAvPA members.Today AAvPA members enjoy the same benefits as EAAP members and EAAP members are welcome to participate at the AAvPA Symposium at special AAvPA rates. Together with our members we have achieved several milestones. The foundation of the new journal Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors (APAHF) as the official journal for EAAP and AAvPA in 2011 in cooperation with Hogrefe Publishing was certainly a high point.We are proud that since the first issue in January 2011 and with combined efforts of the editorial board, associate editors, authors, members, and our colleagues from Hogrefe Publishing, two issues could be published timely each year. The journal is an indispensable means to promoting scientific research, applied practices, book reviews, news and events in aviation psychology and human factors. We are happy to see the number of manuscript submissions and the quality of original (scientific) articles is increasing each year. At the same time we are pleased to see science applied in practice sometimes in close cooperation with industry partners. Further, it has always been a goal of both EAAP and AAvPA to support students in the field of aviation psychology and human factors. This journal, in addition to the symposia, also provides a mechanism for student papers to be published and emerging research to be highlighted.In our view it is important to understand the needs of our industry stakeholders when it comes to human performance and people issues. We would like to see the journal further develop as a medium to inform researchers and academics about industry news and help identify possible research areas, questions and problems. In return, academia can inform industry partners by addressing questions and problem areas through scientific studies delivering sound empirical evidence.In this spirit, we encourage both academia and industry partners in aviation to continue to build bridges to increase aviation safety between Europe, Australia, and beyond. We hope that our readers will see the great potential our scientific journal can bring to their daily operations and look forward to more submissions addressing current industry developments and trends.Michaela Schwarz and Melanie ToddEAAP and AAvPA Presidentspresident@eaap.net; president@aavpa.orgMichaela Schwarz is an aviation psychologist and human factors expert working towards improving human performance in aviation and rail. She received her doctoral degree in psychology from the University of Graz, Austria in 2016. Her main research focus and specialities are the assessment and improvement of safety – just culture and safety-relevant behaviour, the integration of human performance elements in safety management systems and the development and delivery of human factors training programs. Michaela has been a member of the EAAP Board for 10 years and EAAP President for 2 years.Melanie Todd is a Human Factors specialist, working across various high reliability industries. She received her doctoral degree in psychology in 2014, with a focus on pilot performance and licensing. Melanie has worked in both regulatory and investigative roles as a specialist in human factors, primarily in aviation with experience in rail and maritime investigations. Her specialist interest areas include accident and incident investigation, human error analysis, fatigue risk management, and training. Melanie has been a member of the AAvPA Executive Committee for over 15 years and AAvPA President for over 6 years.Michaela Schwarz, EAAP, Vienna, Austria, E-mail president@eaap.netFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 10Issue 1March 2020ISSN: 2192-0923eISSN: 2192-0931 Published onlineApril 2, 2020 InformationAviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors (2020), 10, pp. 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1027/2192-0923/a000187.© 2020Hogrefe PublishingPDF download