Risk And Benefit

I much appreciated Robert Wright's May 2018 article, Risk Assessment Tools. We use a version of a flight risk assessment tool in our flying club, and while I agree that numerical values should not be the sole criteria for the go, no-go decision, the process does provide a checklist of sorts for decision-making. The most valuable risk assessment tool I use is not found on any web site or aviation app, but is the application of a simple philosophy: If I have to analyze a go, no-go decision for more than a few seconds, it is a sure sign that the risk requires serious mitigation or a willingness to stay safely on the ground.

Editorial Staff

Friday, June 22, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A practical rule for aviation decision-making suggests that if a go/no-go choice requires more than a few seconds of analysis, serious risk mitigation or staying on the ground is warranted.
Effective risk management in aviation must include evaluating potential "benefits" alongside risks, completing the crucial risk-benefit analysis often overlooked in discussions.
Risks in aviation should only be justified and taken when the potential reward or benefit clearly exceeds the inherent danger.

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I much appreciated Robert Wright’s May 2018 article, “Risk Assessment Tools.” We use a version of a flight risk assessment tool in our flying club, and while I agree that numerical values should not be the sole criteria for the go, no-go decision, the process does provide a checklist of sorts for decision-making. The most valuable risk assessment tool I use is not found on any web site or aviation app, but is the application of a simple philosophy: If I have to analyze a go, no-go decision for more than a few seconds, it is a sure sign that the risk requires serious mitigation or a willingness to stay safely on the ground.

David Fisichella
Falmouth, Mass.