Royal Australian Air Force

Deputy Command Aviation Safety

Human Factors Consultant

A critical member of an aerodrome management team, the ARO can maintain the airfield on a daily basis as well as conduct Aerodrome Serviceability Inspections (ASI) and report aerodrome conditional changes as specified in CASR 139.220 and in Chapter 10 of the MOS Part 139 – Aerodromes.

Aerodrome Reporting Officer

Completed MilSAR Course with SAR Training Australia in conjunction with AMSA. The Military Search and Rescue course qualifies members as an SMC (SAR Mission Coordinator)
As the Base Aviation Safety Officer for RAAF Base Amberley, any SAR event becomes my responsibility to manage, allocate search assets and develop a search and rescue plan for aviators in need.

Loadmaster

Some of the best years of my life were spent in the back of a Herc flying around the world. The crew interaction and skills learnt while operating in a fast paced, high tempo, aluminium tube have set me up with some very interesting experiences

Loadmaster C130J-30

Base Aviation Safety Officer

CrewFusion Group

Human Factors & SMS Consultant | SAR Mission Co-ordinator | Aviation Safety Officer | Loadmaster | Podcaster

Human Performance Consultant

Flight Engineer DHC-4 Caribou

Aircraft Technician

Operating CrewFusion Group to provide contemporary, reliable training based around Human Performance and Safety;

Human Factors | Safety Promotion | SMS Consultant | Risk Management | Mental Wellbeing | Psychological Safety | Emotional Intelligence | Resilience | HOP | Trusting & High-Performance Teams | Active Listening | Learning Teams | Safety Reviews 

‘Back to Basics’ right up to Advanced Training & Consulting available. 

Why do I love these topics?

I love watching the change people go through when they begin to see how powerful they can be.  The reason why I have embraced & simply can’t get enough of these topics is because they literally change lives. Psychological Safety & Emotional Intelligence alone, are  absolute game changers. They have become my passion.  

Human Factors, Safety Management System Consultant and Human Performance Coach providing training, facilitation and advice to any industry in any workplace. 

Highly skilled at developing and maintaining Safety Management Systems. Specialising in aviation with experience in construction, mining, farming, energy, logistics and healthcare safety systems. 

Background as an Aircraft Technician & Airmen Aircrew as a Caribou Flight Engineer and C130J-30 Hercules Loadmaster over 27 years in the RAAF. 

Qualified 
- SAR (Search & Rescue) Mission Coordinator
- Aviation Safety Officer (ASO)
- Aviation Incident Site Commander
- Aerodrome Reporting Officer (ARO)
- Certificate IV in Business and Leadership Coaching
- NTS Facilitator and Course Developer

Facilitating, training and consulting to all industries, specialising in High Reliability Organisations; Construction, Emergency Services, Mining, Healthcare, Farming, Aviation and Energy. 

CrewFusion’s mission is to provide practical, experience-based solutions to complex problems based on our own lessons learned through operating in & developing safety systems. We accomplish this through fresh, fun, revolutionary Human Factors training, safety training & coaching to high reliability industry.

Skool just hit 18 million users. That number says something powerful! People are hungry for better ways to learn.

Not just quick courses that disappear when you finish them… but communities that grow with you.

That’s what originally drew me to Skool in the first place, and I'm loving some of the communities I have joined and can learn new ideas from.  It’s not just another learning platform; it’s a place where ideas evolve, people connect, and learning actually sticks.

And now, CrewFusion Academy is part of that growth.

This week, I've been busy building the first of many courses and have really enjoyed the adventure of revisiting Human Factors' first principles while incorporating contemporary thinking and case studies. If Human Factors training isn’t keeping up with current workplace and system complexities, we’ve got a challenge on our hands.

The topics I've just added are some of my favourites, hence the excitement.
✅ Human Performance
✅ Cognitive Function
✅ Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
✅ How Confidence & Motivation are linked to our performance. 

These aren’t one-off lessons that vanish after you tick a box.
They’re practical, real-world skills that evolve alongside our community. Fresh content, lifelong access, and continuous growth.

Because the ability to learn doesn’t expire.
Human Factors aren’t something you complete; they’re something you live.

The free CrewFusion Academy on Skool isn't just a Human Factors community either. Let's talk about HOP, Safety Differently, Human Performance and Leadership as well. 

Be part of the community where knowledge never leaves your side. My bio has the link to get you there. 

#HumanFactors #HumanPerformance #Safety #Leadership #CrewFusionAcademy #Community

David East 

Helping organisations move from Good to Better to Best. Training the Trainer - Human Performance | Safety | Leadership Aviation Safety in Aus Air Force Join the growing 'CrewFusion Academy' community on the Skool App

"Stress and anxiety at work have less to do with the work we do, and more to do with weak leadership and management."

It’s a bold statement, but one I’ve seen play out in almost every workplace.

Stress and anxiety don’t come from tight deadlines or challenging projects alone.

They come from:
👉 Unclear expectations
👉 Poor work/life balance
👉 Dysfunctional team mates
👉 Poor communication 
👉 Micromanaging bosses
👉 Lack of recognition
👉 Job insecurity
👉 Weak leadership

It’s not the volume of work that burns people out.
It’s the feeling of constantly guessing what “good” looks like, being blamed for outcomes you couldn’t influence, or never knowing where you stand.

I’ve seen highly demanding roles feel energising when the leadership is strong, because people feel trusted, informed, and supported.

And I’ve seen simple jobs become anxiety-inducing when the management is inconsistent or reactive.

Work doesn’t cause stress.
How leaders shape the environment does.

Imagine if more organisations focused on building clarity, consistency, and psychological safety instead of adding more resilience training or wellness programs.

Perhaps the solution isn’t helping people cope better; it’s leading them to cope better.

Weak leadership isn’t fate. It’s an EI skill gap we close when we fail to pause, listen and properly understand.

👉 What do you think?
What is your team doing to fix the EI skill gap in your workplace?

#humanperformance #safety #leadership #crewfusionacademy

Last month, a friend of mine told me a story of how he just sat through another human factors refresher. The package was fine, the examples were familiar, but when the session ended, the screen went black and that was it. The allotted timeframe had ended, the discussion was cut short, yet he still had a story to tell that was relevant to the case study they were discussing. 

He closed his laptop and realised his team had missed out on some valuable learning opportunities. They had the hallway conversations, they shared frustrations, but within the silo that was their company, they didn’t learn anything they hadn’t already heard before. 

There were no moments of, “Oh, you deal with that too?”

There was no opportunity for industry collaboration within their human factors training structure. 

The next wave of human factors education won’t just come from a textbook or a structured refresher. 

It has to come from you! The people doing the work every day.

With the CrewFusion Academy’s launch on Skool, training in your silo’s changes because we’ve discovered a growing ecosystem.

We’re building a space where high-risk industry professionals can co-create modern, applied human factors learning and truly learn from each other’s experiences, which is what HF training should be all about. 

We’re inviting a small founding group to help shape this journey. Human Factors practitioners, facilitators, and safety leaders who believe in bridging the gap between theory and lived experience.

As an early member of the CrewFusion Academy, you’ll have a voice in course design, access to developing modules, and an opportunity to share your expertise with others.

If you’ve ever wished HF training reflected the realities of your industry, this is your chance to help build it.

My friend's story stuck with me, because we’ve all been that person who closes the laptop, or walks out of a classroom and thinks, “There’s more we could’ve learned together.”

CrewFusion Academy exists to make sure that moment doesn’t happen again.

🎯 This is where the conversations continue.
🎯 Where stories are shared.
🎯 Where learning doesn’t end when the screen goes black.

It’s where people who truly care about human factors, safety and operational learning come together to shape what comes next.

If you’ve ever wanted to be part of something bigger than another refresher, this is your moment.

👉 Join the founding group 👉 https://lnkd.in/gNBeNb9N 
🗣️ Add your story.
🚀 Help redefine how our industries learn from each other.

The future of human factors learning has already begun; the only question is, will you be in the room when it does?

#HumanFactors #OperationalLearning #SafetyDifferently #CrewFusionAcademy #LearningCulture #HumanPerformance #Leadership

Through my work in safety, one thing has become clear:
We’re doing a great job meeting compliance standards, but we’re missing opportunities for deeper, practical learning.

We talk about error, systems, procedures and behaviour; yet we rarely build communities that connect those lessons across industries.

That’s why I’m launching CrewFusion Academy - a new Skool-based learning hub built with Human Factors and Safety professionals. 

The courses are still in development, but the goal is clear:
To create a space where aviation, energy, defence, and other high-reliability sectors can come together to learn, share, and grow the next generation of Human Factors education.

I’m inviting experienced practitioners, facilitators, and training managers to join early, help shape the content, and guide where this academy goes.
You’ll also have the opportunity to earn affiliate commissions when you share courses with your networks.

Let’s make this a community that moves human factors forward - together.

👉 Join the CrewFusion Academy community on Skool and help shape the future of Human Factors / NTS / CRM learning 

#HumanFactors #HumanPerformance #Safety #Leadership #CrewFusionAcademy #SafetyCulture #LearningCommunity #Skool

Ever feel like you're powering through on sheer willpower, only to hit a wall mid-afternoon? What if the real secret to peak performance isn't more coffee or longer hours - but deeper sleep?

In our high-stakes world, busy professionals and students often glorify the grind, sacrificing rest for results. They'll wear 60-hour weeks as a badge of honour. But science tells a different story. Poor sleep erodes cognitive sharpness, impairs decision-making, and stifles creativity, the very tools that define effective leadership and productivity. 

Why does it seem like we're wired to ignore this? Is it the pressure to "do more" that's actually doing us in?

At CrewFusion Academy, we see sleep as a foundation of holistic performance. Here are three evidence-based strategies to optimise yours tonight:

✅ Establish a wind-down ritual: Dim lights and avoid screens 30 minutes before bed to boost melatonin production, proven to enhance sleep quality and next-day focus. A hot shower 30 minutes out helps your body lose the required 2-3°C needed for quality sleep.

✅ Prioritise consistency: Aim for 7-9 hours by setting fixed sleep/wake times—even on weekends. Research shows this regulates your circadian rhythm, improving emotional regulation and problem-solving.

✅ Create a sleep sanctuary: Keep your room cool (15-19°C - 60-67°F), dark, and quiet. Studies link this to deeper REM cycles, fueling better memory consolidation and innovative thinking.

🎯 Imagine leading with clarity, innovating under pressure, and sustaining energy without burnout. That's the power of optimised sleep.

Ready to dive deeper? Join us at CrewFusion Academy on the Skool App, where safety, leadership, and performance meet. 

What's one sleep habit you'll tweak this week? 

https://lnkd.in/gNBeNb9N

#SleepOptimisation #HumanPerformance #Safety #Leadership #CrewFusionAcademy

taplio

David East 's Linkedin Analytics

David East

Performance ScoreDavid East's LinkedIn Performance

David East's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

.css-6ytdur{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39, 43, 72, 1) 0%, rgba(33, 47, 183, 1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}David East 's Linkedin Analytics

David East

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}David East's LinkedIn Performance

David East's Best Posts .css-1emoo84{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:400;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);}(last 30 days)

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

David East 's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreDavid East's LinkedIn Performance

David East's Best Posts (last 30 days)