Top Ten Aviation Risk Reduction Steps

Hows this for an aviation truism? "The best pilots possess the superior judgment to avoid situations requiring their superior skills to survive." While arguably more true than a whole wealth of aeronautical truisms, it doesnt provide much guidance in our quest to become one of those wiser and more-capable aviators. Which raises an obvious question: How does one develop such profound judgment? Old, no-longer-bold, aviators (another truism) generally know the answer: by surviving unwanted experiences. Which reminds us that experience is hands-down the best teacher, something we hear repeatedly. Were not saying that experience is the safest teacher; obviously, the learning pilot faces elevated risks in the course of gaining the experience from which wisdom grows. A safer approach, of course, is absorbing tribal knowledge from those sobering hangar-flying tales of others experiences we hear and read. Another approach is to sample risky situations from safely within the confines of a full-motion cockpit simulator capable of providing exposure to palm-sweating situations without the, you know, danger. In the end, however, we have to emerge from the sim, leave the comfort of our fellow hangar flyers, and actually put on an airplane and fly it.

Key Takeaways:

• Pilots develop superior judgment not just through skill, but primarily by gaining experience, which, while effective, can be risky; safer alternatives include learning from others' experiences and using flight simulators.
• Effective aviation risk management is defined as the probability of a threat multiplied by its consequences, and requires pilots to proactively expect potential failures, plan "outs" for identified risks, and pre-determine "no-go" decision points.
• Continuous risk management involves recognizing one's own competence and limitations, and understanding how environmental factors and flight duration impact the probability and consequences of hazards, with preparation serving to mitigate, but never eliminate, overall risk.

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