Teaching PAVE

Flight instructors exist, at a minimum, to impart knowledge gained from experience, preferably their own. In the past, thats how risk management was taught: by telling there I was stories. Since younger, less-experienced instructors dont have the same backgrounds as their senior colleagues, risk management concepts and tools were introduced. Yet some instructors may not fully understand or implement them. Heres a primer on what students need to know.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Flight instructors should transition from teaching risk management through personal anecdotes to using structured concepts and tools, such as the PAVE categories, especially given instructors' varying experience levels.
A core lesson in risk management is distinguishing between what is "legal" (e.g., FAA minimums for experience, fuel, or altitude) and what is truly "safe" under prevailing conditions.
Instructors must highlight specific hazards within the Pilot, Aircraft, Environment, and External Pressures categories, emphasizing how they can lead to unsafe decisions even when legal minimums are met.

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Flight instructors exist, at a minimum, to impart knowledge gained from experience, preferably their own. In the past, that’s how risk management was taught: by telling “there I was” stories. Since younger, less-experienced instructors don’t have the same backgrounds as their senior colleagues, risk management concepts and tools were introduced. Yet some instructors may not fully understand or implement them. Here’s a primer on what students need to know.