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in judgment and decision-making become increasingly limited, particularly in high wind conditions. The most common causal factors for landing accidents include collision with obstructions in the intended landing area. Prior to a flight, a pilot should assess personal fitness. The “I’m Safe Checklist” helps a pilot determine his or her ability to fly. [Figure 1-6] 

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## Evaluating ADM Skills 

The “What If” discussions an instructor pilot has with a student pilot are designed to accelerate development of decision-making skills by posing situations for the trainee to ponder. Research has shown that these types of discussions help build judgment and offset low experience. Once a student pilot has obtained his or her certification, it is important that he or she continue to evaluate flight decisions. To self-evaluate: 

• Pose an open-ended question about the situation encountered during flight, 

• Examine the decision made, 

• Explore other ways to solve the problem, and 

• Evaluate whether or not the best solution was used. 

## Crew Resource Management 

ADM originated with the airline industry in an attempt to reduce human factors in aircraft accidents. The airlines developed a training program for flight crews called Crew Resource Management (CRM). It focuses on the effective use of all available resources to prevent accidents. While CRM focuses on pilots operating in crew environments, many of the concepts apply to single-pilot operations, but are not a “best fit” for balloon operations. 

## Single-Pilot Resource Management 

A variant of the CRM model that may be of more practical application to the balloon pilot is Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM), which may be defined as “the art and science of managing all resources (both from on-board and external sources) available to the single-pilot (prior to and during flight) to ensure the successful outcome of the flight.” Virtually all ballooning is done as a single-pilot operation; there is no “crew resource” available from the perspective of having a co-pilot to assist in workload management. 

For any single pilot, the primary emphasis of SRM is to integrate the underlying thinking skills needed by the pilot to consistently determine the best course of action to take in response to a given set of circumstances. SRM integrates the following concepts: 

• Human Resources 

• Risk Management 

• Situational Awareness 

• Training 

• Decision-Making Process 

## Human Resources 

Balloons differ from general aviation aircraft in the balloon pilot’s reliance on diverse human resources for flight. Human resources include all groups working with pilots to ensure flight safety. A safe balloon flight includes, but is not limited to, a crew chief and ground crew, weather briefers, volunteers, spectators, “locals” with current and often unpublished information on roads and landing sites, landowners, and others who contribute assistance or information. Balloons differ from airplanes in their reliance on unlicensed, non-FAA-certified/recognized, and even first time volunteers to assemble and support ground handling of the balloon. Crew action—or inaction—at any stage of flight can contribute as much or more to flight safety than pilot input. Balloon flight safety often relies on many people beyond those onboard. 

For example, a routine inflation on most balloons requires several sets of hands; moderate winds can quickly mean more help is needed. Having someone to handle a drop line offers a pilot landing site options inaccessible through onboard maneuvering. Added weight or “hands on” allows a pilot to choose a smaller landing site than when landing unassisted, or it can mean avoiding trees, power lines, or other obstacles. 

Crew members make important information contributions to flight safety because crew can access real time flight related 

