Aeronautical Decision-Making and Risk Management
What you'll learn: structured ways to spot risk before it becomes an accident. Source: PHAK Ch. 2.
Check yourself: IMSAFE
Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion (or eating).
Check the whole flight: PAVE
Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, External pressures (like needing to get home).
The 3P model
Perceive hazards, Process their risk, Perform by mitigating or eliminating them. Repeat throughout the flight.
Hazardous attitudes and antidotes
| Attitude | Antidote |
|---|---|
| Anti-authority ("don't tell me") | Follow the rules; they're usually right |
| Impulsivity ("do it quickly") | Not so fast; think first |
| Invulnerability ("it won't happen to me") | It could happen to me |
| Macho ("I can do it") | Taking chances is foolish |
| Resignation ("what's the use?") | I'm not helpless; I can make a difference |
Personal minimums
Write down your own limits for ceilings, visibility, wind and crosswind, and day/night, set above the legal minimums. Decide before the flight, when there's no pressure.
Read it in the FAA handbooks
The official chapters behind this page. Each link opens the exact chapter, free on faa.gov. See the full Study Library.
Check yourself
2 questions. Pick an answer to see why it's right or wrong.
Sources, review & change history
- Published
- Oct 16, 2026
- Last source review
- Not yet re-checked against primary sources
- Reviewer
- No independent reviewer yet. Written by Jackson, a student pilot, not a CFI.
- Scope
- General aviation decision-making tools.
Primary sources
Changes
- Oct 17, 2026: First published.
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