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:

Risk management instruction is shifting from anecdotal experience to conceptual tools, necessitating instructors' full understanding and implementation of these methods.
Instructors must emphasize that FAA minimums for pilot experience and aircraft resources (like fuel) may be insufficient for safe operation under prevailing conditions.
Students need to learn to identify and mitigate risks from environmental hazards (e.g., convective activity) and external pressures (e.g., tight schedules) that can compromise safety, even if operations are technically legal.

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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.