BBASS is delighted to be joined by Trevor Dale – come fly with us as we explore the parallels of flying and operating. They are very different by in many respects the same.

Trevor has spent the last 20 years observing, coaching, and training across healthcare with a focus on surgery. Prior to that he spent 34 years flying the World culminating as a Jumbo training captain and human factors specialist. Comparing the two professions shows more similarities than many admit. Both involve risk management and crucial safety-related behaviours. Both suffer from avoidable errors. One, though, involves a greater degree of personal jeopardy. In general, one profession has changed dramatically over the last 50 years and continues to do so. The other still struggles with accepting human fallibility.

He was part of the team that introduced Human factors to a sceptical British Airways flight crew in 1991 and continued until retirement in 2005 as a Training Captain. He joined a research team in cardiac surgery at Great Ormond Street looking at team interactions. Then followed the Royal College of Surgeons of England and co-authoring the Productive Operating Theatre program for the NHS. He has now spent for over 20 years training and coaching teams across healthcare.