Thanks in part to requirements in the new Airman Certification Standards (ACS) for applicants to demonstrate proficiency with it on practical tests, risk management is becoming an integral part of the training process. Outlined in every task of every ACS for certificates and ratings, applicants are evaluated on their ability to identify, assess and mitigate risk. As familiarity with the ACS grows, examiners may require applicants to show their risk analysis during the oral portion of the practical test. This is all well and good, but applicants should also be able to demonstrate risk management proficiency after takeoff, as conditions change the risk picture.
Even today, most pilots have not received any training on risk management. The ACS system is still relatively new, with the first ACS documents issued in 2016. As pilots are learning to do formal risk management, most instructors have not yet learned how to teach it, and most examiners have not yet learned how to test it. To help instructors help their students, the FAA has begun the work of revising its Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2), originally issued in 2009.
