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 must evolve beyond anecdotal "there I was" stories to effectively teach modern risk management concepts and tools to their students.
A core principle of aviation safety is that merely meeting legal minimums for pilot experience, aircraft fuel reserves, or operational conditions may be insufficient to ensure safety in actual flight situations.
Instructors should specifically highlight risks related to pilot limitations, aircraft readiness and systems knowledge, environmental hazards like convective activity, and external pressures that can compromise safe decision-making.

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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.