## Risk Management Training for Professional Pilots 

Instructors may encounter pilots who fly professionally. Many professional pilots operate as a crew and receive ongoing and recurrent training at a Part 142 training center. Instructors who work in classrooms or simulators at such a facility will likely be proficient in subjects such as crew resource management (CRM). They may also be exposed to other training and operating concepts, such as threat and error management (TEM), which has similar elements to risk management. 

Instructors may encounter professional pilots who own their own aircraft and fly them outside of their professional environment. An instructor who provides transition or other flight instruction services to professional pilots should emphasize risk management as part of the training. Pilots who operate professionally as a crew may not be used to operating as a single-pilot, without the support infrastructure of their professional employer. Their risk management responsibilities may need adaptation to flying their own aircraft. 

## Managing Risk during Flight Instruction 

Instructors know the need to manage risk during flight instruction. The risk management techniques are the same as taught to learners, however, there are a few hazards that are unique to flight instruction. The resulting risk can be identified, assessed, and mitigated. For example: 

⦁ $_{Ask the learner to fly specific maneuvers after giving appropriate training}$ . 

⦁ $_{Choose practice locations that provide safe options}$ . 

⦁ $_{Perform maneuvers with sufficient altitude}$ . 

⦁ $_{Stay alert for the unexpected either from the learner or external elements}$ . 

⦁ $_{Be prepared to take over the control of the aircraft}$ . 

In flight, instructors can manage risk by constantly being aware of potential risk elements and managing them in real time. To do this, the instructor needs to maintain situational awareness of pertinent information, not only of the state of the aircraft, the surrounding traffic, the weather, the airspace, and the surrounding area; but also what the learner is doing and planning to do. 

## Common Flight Instruction Risks 

The best process for analyzing flight instruction risks is to identify them as you would on any other flight, using the PAVE acronym. There may be many potential risks to conducting flight instruction. The examples below are only meant to be representative. Instructors should always conduct a risk analysis prior to providing instruction. 

## Pilot Risks 

This category involves both qualification and aeromedical risks. From a qualification perspective, instructors know that the learner will generally be less proficient than the instructor. Instructors may also have qualification, currency, and proficiency issues. Instructors should be familiar with aircraft, avionics, and procedures. Any unfamiliarity creates a hazard. The aeromedical risks require the instructor to be tuned in to not only his own aeromedical state, but that of the learner. 

During flight instruction, pilot risk includes both the learner pilot and the instructor pilot. The instructor needs to be prepared for the learner to make mistakes such as those listed in the Airplane Flying Handbook. The risks of these mistakes can be mitigated by being proactive in planning activities based on current conditions, and by allowing enough time and space both to allow the learner to practice and to allow the instructor to take over control of the aircraft before the situation deteriorates beyond the instructor’s ability$_{ }$ to fly the aircraft. 

## Aircraft Risks 

Aircraft used in flight instruction may not always be under the direct control and maintenance supervision of the instructor, resulting in the instructor not being aware of inoperative systems and equipment or overdue inspections. For two-place trainer aircraft, payload is often limited, requiring a reduction in the amount of fuel carried. Performance may also be marginal in high density-altitude situations. 

