How was your shift?
Get it off your chest.
Aircraft maintenance engineers, technicians, manufacturing, design and test, defence aerospace and space industry. Put down what you're carrying before you go home.
Which best describes you?
This changes a few questions and which support lines come first. You can change it any time.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer, your manager or anyone else. Unladen Aero is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any company, airline, defence organisation or government agency. · Give feedback
Take a moment.
Step away from the aircraft, bench or screen if you can. Tell your supervisor you need a few minutes. That's allowed.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaky, sick, or a racing heart
- Numb, or oddly calm
- Tearful, angry, or both
- Going over what you could have done differently
These are normal reactions. They usually settle over hours or days.
If you're worried about something you signed
Raise it now, with your supervisor or quality team. It's always better to speak up than to sit with it. If it's a safety risk, say so clearly, and write down who you told and when.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
Call someone now
Add your supervisor, a colleague or your EAP in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe telling your supervisor or manager, there are other people you can go to. Or write down what happened, just for you, while it's fresh.
What helps after
Handover to yourself
A few minutes at the end of a shift. Notice what you're carrying, then leave what you can at the hangar door.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Light load
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
Your safety
You said you didn't feel fully safe. That matters. Tell your manager or supervisor, and report it through your incident system. Fatigue and pressure to rush count as safety issues too.
Getting home safely
You said you've got very little energy left. If you're driving, a 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave can help, or get a lift. Text someone when you're home.
What might help
People you can call
This isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Last 14 days
Handovers
This phone isn't letting the page save, so handovers won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Getting it right every time takes something out of you
What to watch for, and what helps. Tap a heading to open it.
Carrying a sign-off
Certifying an aircraft, a part or a design means carrying responsibility for people you will never meet.
- If something doesn't look right, you can refuse to sign. That is the job, not a failure.
- Ask for a second check when you are unsure or tired.
- Write down your concerns and who you raised them with.
- Talk it through with someone. You don't have to carry it alone.
Pressure to rush or cut corners
- Raise it with your supervisor or quality and safety team, in writing if you can.
- Safety concerns can be reported confidentially to the ATSB through its REPCON scheme.
- Your union, such as the ALAEA or Professionals Australia, can give confidential advice first.
- Write down what happened and when.
After an accident or incident
An accident or incident involving something you worked on can bring shock, guilt and fear about an investigation.
- Shock, replaying it and trouble sleeping are normal reactions.
- Investigations look at systems, not just people. Get support through it.
- Talk to your union before formal interviews if you are worried.
- See your GP or EAP if it is still strong after a couple of weeks.
When a test or launch goes wrong
A failed test or launch can mean years of work gone in seconds, sometimes in public.
- Grief and anger afterwards are normal. You cared about it.
- Failure is part of how aerospace learns. It is not a verdict on you.
- Debrief as a team, and rest before the next push.
Night shifts and fatigue
- Fatigue causes errors. If you're too tired to work safely, say so.
- Don't drive home if you can't keep your eyes open.
- Protect your sleep between shifts, with a dark, quiet room.
When you can't talk about your work
Defence and security work can mean you cannot tell anyone what is bothering you.
- You can still talk about how you feel without sharing details.
- Ask your employer about counsellors who understand security requirements.
- If you're worried about how seeking help affects a security clearance, ask a confidential EAP counsellor or your union rather than assuming the worst.
Contracts, restructures and job insecurity
- Program cuts and contract changes are unsettling, even when your job is safe.
- Your union can explain your rights.
- It's normal to grieve a project or team.
After a mistake or near miss
- Report it straight away. Good safety cultures treat honest mistakes fairly.
- Tell someone you trust. You don't have to carry it alone.
- If a formal process worries you, talk to your union first.
Bullying, harassment or conflict
You don't have to put up with it, and you don't have to sort it out alone.
- Write down what happened, with dates, while it's fresh.
- If your manager is involved, talk to someone outside your reporting line.
- The Fair Work Commission can make orders to stop bullying at work.
- For sexual harassment, 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) is there 24/7.
Signs you're carrying too much
- Dreading the next shift
- Checking and rechecking long after work
- Replaying jobs at night
- Feeling numb, or short with people
- Pulling back from people
Safety-critical work means carrying a lot. Feeling it is a normal response, not a weakness.
Getting home safely
After a long or late shift, tiredness can affect your driving as much as alcohol.
- If you're struggling to keep your eyes open, don't drive. A 15 to 20 minute nap before you leave helps.
- After a hard shift, text someone when you get home.
When to get more help
If your load has been heavy for two weeks or more, you dread going in, or it's affecting sleep or home life, talk to your GP or EAP. A GP can set up a Mental Health Treatment Plan for Medicare-subsidised sessions with a psychologist. Open Arms (1800 011 046) is there for current and former ADF members and their families.
People to call
Save the ones that apply to you. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
Support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your organisation
Your company can add its own EAP, peer support and safety reporting contacts here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called.
- Your quality, safety or airworthiness team. For anything you are worried about technically.
- Your union. The ALAEA (02 9554 9399) covers licensed aircraft maintenance engineers. Professionals Australia (1300 273 762) covers engineers and scientists. Trades staff have their own unions.
- The ATSB's REPCON scheme. For confidential aviation safety reports.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
Confidential safety reports protect your identity. You can ask how before you share details.
Spiritual and religious support
Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith or cultural community after a hard shift. Others find it in nature, music, exercise or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
If your workplace has a chaplain or wellbeing officer, they support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"I'm worried about something I signed off."
"I'm being pushed to rush a job."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- A union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- A confidential safety report protects your identity. Safety risks still need to be fixed, so they may be followed up without naming you.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. If you later decide to raise something, notes written at the time are easier to rely on than memory.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the crib room or on the way home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (handovers, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your handovers, private record, role, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Aero
Unladen™ Aero is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. Unladen™ is a trade mark of Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any company, airline, defence organisation or government agency. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your role, handovers, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Feedback: the feedback form is the only part of Unladen Aero that sends anything, and only when you press Send. It doesn't include anything else from the app.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.1 prototype · September 2026