Making The Right Decision Is The Most Important Part Of Aviation Safety

“Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) is a systematic approach to the mental process used by pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.”

This sentence is a quote from the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and it sounds pretty official, doesn’t it? Couldn’t we simply say, “Pilots should use common sense.”

Aeronautical decision making is a term used by FAA to encompass a toolbox of mental exercises to help pilots make right choices. And while this may sound like high-end stuff for airline pilots or military pilots, recreational pilots need to use these tools as well.

Can ADM training really do much for the simplified operations of a sport pilot? You bet it can and, sport pilot applicants will be tested on the application of ADM skills. ADM is a combination of self awareness and the application of decision skills. The various aspects of ADM are complex yet logical.

Attitude
Attitude is the personal motivational predisposition to respond to persons, situations, or events in a given manner. The word “predisposition” almost makes it sound like our attitudes are fixed and we can’t do anything about them. ADM teaches us that our attitudes can be managed if we use some ADM tools to recognize how our attitude can affect a flight.

Judgment
Judgment is the mental process of recognizing and analyzing all pertinent information in a particular situation, a rational evaluation of alternative actions in response to it, and a timely decision about what action to take. Judgment is a constant loop of thought that must run over and over again as a flight situation changes. Most pilot-related accident results from a chain of inappropriate decisions, not from one single bad decision.

ADM teaches that you do not have to stick by a single decision. As circumstances change, a good pilot recognizes the change and applies a new judgment as warranted.

Risk Management
You take risks in most everything you do unless you live in a padded room and never leave it. When piloting an aircraft, you are faced with four fundamental risks elements. These are: the pilot, the aircraft, the environment, and the type of operation (also called the mission). Risk management is the part of the decision making process which relies on situational awareness, problem recognition, and good judgment to reduce the risks to an acceptable level.

In other words, listen to the little voice in your head when you hear it say, “This doesn’t seem right.”

Good ADM skills apply to more than taking a flight in your aircraft. The decision making processes encompassed in ADM should also be applied to what type of aircraft you should build or fly, or consider owning.

Aviation grew up on the concept that the threat of a deadly accident was enough to motivate pilots to use common sense, but accident statistics don’t support this. Over 80% of all aviation accidents are attributed pilot error and this is often a result of poor decision making.

Aviation safety is not an accident; it’s a decision.

FMI: The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25)