Performance psychology for high-stakes work
When the check ride, the exam, the operation or the upgrade arrives, skill is not enough. Human Ballistics gives competent professionals the mental tools to deliver their best performance under the most pressure, drawn from 35 years in aviation and the science of stress and startle.
The problem
We call it "checkitis" or "simitis" depending on where you're from. This state arises when a fully competent professional delivers a degraded performance during an examination, a check ride or a high-stakes moment. The knowledge is there. This stress reaction interferes with our ability to deliver at our full potential.
A sudden failure or surprise triggers a reaction that hijacks clear thinking at the exact moment you need it most.
Multiple obligations collide under time pressure, and the resulting stress narrows your attention and shrinks your options.
Under load you lose the big picture. Regaining it fast is a trainable skill, not a personality trait.
Ways to work with us
The flagship two-day course on managing stress, startle and check anxiety. Delivered in person across Australia and New Zealand.
Private sessions before a check, an exam or a return to line flying. Tailored to your specific pressure point.
Crew Resource Management and Human Factors training for airlines, police air wings, medical aviation and special operations.
A focused program for nervous flyers. Three private sessions that turn dread into confidence. No win, no fee.
The same method works for doctors, police, mining, surgeons and leaders. Anywhere performance is judged under pressure.
Your instructor
Ray has spent more than 35 years in aviation, including 22 years as a flight instructor and examiner. He has sat on both sides of the check ride and watched brilliant professionals undone not by a lack of skill, but by their reaction to pressure.
He built the Performance Course in 2010 to close a gap that standard training left open. Since then it has helped over a thousand professional pilots, along with police, clinicians and leaders, walk into the highest-stakes moments of their careers with their full faculties available.
Read Ray's storyCaptain, B737, Texel Air
"This was the human factors training we want, but don't necessarily receive."
What people say
Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand, the Royal Australian Navy and Western Australia Police, among others.
"I passed with all 4s last night which is as good as it gets. More importantly I didn't kill myself with stress. Can't tell you how much you and your course helped me."
"The single best personal and professional development course I have ever been involved with."
"Not only am I enjoying the career aspects of my life more, but my family life has improved enormously."
Your next check does not have to be a gamble
Book the next Performance Course, or arrange a private session before your next high-stakes day.