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I'm Cristian Mandu
I am an Airbus A320 captain, instructor and examiner, Human Factors trainer and researcher, Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and PhD candidate. My work sits at the intersection of operational practice, training, and research, with a particular focus on how individuals and teams maintain effective performance under stress, workload, uncertainty, and system complexity.
Over the past 14 years, I have worked with airline crews, managers from different professional domains, and European astronauts. Aviation provides the operational foundation for much of my work, but the Human Factors principles involved extend well beyond the flight deck to other high-performance environments where decision-making, teamwork, and adaptability matter.
My research focuses on the cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal elements of individual performance that drive and sustain competent behaviors and contribute to resilient system performance. These elements function as building blocks that, in different combinations and to different degrees, are required to meet the demands of normal, abnormal, and emergency situations.
Image source: CAE Corporate Store, CAE 7000XR Flight Simulator Building Kit.
Original image recolored using OpenAI ChatGPT for conceptual illustration.
The flight simulator provides a visual metaphor for my research. The colored LEGO pieces represent the foundational building blocks of cognitive performance, which combine differently as the demands of each scenario change. My aim is to understand these interactions and develop training that strengthens these foundations that enable operators to deploy their competencies under stress, workload, uncertainty, and system complexity, even in situations that cannot be fully anticipated.
By bridging research and operational practice, I aim to translate insights from aviation and Human Factors research into practical approaches that strengthen decision-making, teamwork, and performance under pressure.
If these challenges are relevant to your organization, I would be pleased to explore how Human Factors research and training principles could be applied in your operational context.
Qualifications
A320 TRI/TRE
EASA A320 Type-Rating Instructor and Examiner (Swiss CAA).
A320 Captain
I achieved the rank of captain in 2014 and subsequently progressed through various roles within the training department structure, serving as a Line Training Captain (LTC), Check Airman (CARM), and Type-Rating Instructor (TRI).
CRM/Human Factors Trainer
I transitioned into the role of a Crew Resource Management (CRM) Trainer, where my focus is on aiding airline crews in achieving safety standards. My emphasis lies in addressing Human Factors aspects that can either hinder or enhance team performance.
Education
2024-Present
PhD candidate
Open University Netherlands
Doctoral research examining resilience development in pilot training and the role of confidence calibration and cognitive robustness in supporting pilot performance under stress and high workload.
2018-2021
MSc
Lund University, Sweden
I have conducted research on the A320 ALL ENGINE FAIL procedure and how training simplified rules-of-thumb (judgement heuristics) can assist pilots in managing critical situations. My thesis, detailing this research, is available for download here.
1999-2003
Bachelor’s Degree in Music - Violin Performance
Lynn University, USA
Before becoming a pilot, I have a background in classical music, specializing in violin performance.
Upcoming events
INVITED SPEAKER
APATS 2026 - Bangkok
1 September 2026
Grounding Pilot Training in the Realities of Human Performance Under Pressure
Asia Pacific Aviation Training Summit
ACADEMIC MILESTONE
PhD Defence
Open University Netherlands
19 November 2026
From Competence to Resilience: Confidence Boundaries in Airbus A320 Pilot Training
Research focus, publications, and articles
PhD research focus
I am currently continuing my research on resilience development in pilot training, with a particular focus on developing a Confidence-Based Robustness Training (CBRT) framework as a foundational complement to the existing Evidence-Based Training (EBT) approach.
While EBT focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of pilot performance through observable behaviors, it overlooks the psychological and cognitive mechanisms that drive those behaviors — particularly pilots’ cognitive capabilities, needs, and limitations when operating under stress and high workload.
CBRT seeks to bridge this gap by focusing on the cognitive architecture that enables pilots to maintain effective control, decision-making, and coordination under pressure, aligning training more closely with the realities of human performance in complex operational environments.
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Mandu, C., Smoker, A., & Curșeu, P. (2026).
Using heuristics to glide an Airbus A320 following all-engine failure in cruise: a simulator-based experimental study.
Published in Ergonomics.
This paper extends the experimental work originally conducted for my MSc thesis by introducing two additional control groups.
Read the paper here.
Articles
What Actually Changes in the Simulator When Pilots Train a Clearly Articulated Failure Management Structure at Home?
Insights from 61 Airline Pilots.
Read the article here.
Why We Should Start Calibrating Pilot Confidence — Adding Cognitive Robustness as a Foundation for the EBT Competency Framework
Read the article here.
Beyond Procedures: Training Astronauts in Team Dynamics and Decision-Making
Read the article here.
