Preflight Brief: Fly Safer with Risk Management

Welcome to the Safety Section of the Flying Clubs Newsletter, Club Connector!         

Every month we provide resources for flying club safety officers to keep their clubs informed and safe. You can find this month’s safety article and the full archive, here: https://youcanfly.aopa.org/flying-clubs/flying-club-newsletter/safety          

So, let’s get on with this month’s safety topic!          

Background:    

General Aviation (GA) continues to face safety challenges, many of which stem from inadequate risk management and decision-making practices. FAA and GAJSC accident studies show that hazards often go unrecognized or unmanaged, leading to preventable incidents. To address this, the FAA promotes Safety Management Systems (SMS) principles for all pilots, not just large organizations. While GA pilots may not implement a full SMS, they can adopt its core elements: Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management (SRM), Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion. These practices help pilots identify hazards, assess risks, and mitigate them to acceptable levels, improving overall safety and confidence in flight operations.

Learning points:     

 Safety Policy Matters

• Make safety your highest priority in every flight.
• Maintain or improve pilot knowledge and skill.
• Document your performance capabilities and comply with regulations.

Understand Hazards vs. Risks

• A hazard is any condition or event that could cause harm.
• Risk is the likelihood and severity of that hazard impacting safe operations.

Apply the SRM Process (Perceive, Process, Perform)

• Perceive: Identify hazards before flight.
• Process: Assess likelihood and severity; develop mitigation plans.
• Perform: Implement and adjust plans based on effectiveness.

Severity and Likelihood

• Use a risk matrix to evaluate how likely a hazard is and how severe its consequences could be.
• Combine likelihood and severity to determine overall risk level.

Risk Assessment & Disposition

• Accept the risk (rarely advisable).
• Eliminate the risk entirely.
• Mitigate the risk to an acceptable level.

Use Practical Tools

• Personal Minimums Checklists define safe operating limits based on your skills and conditions.
• Baseline Performance Assessments document capabilities annually with a CFI.
• Flight Risk Assessment Tools (FRATs) help organize and quantify risk factors.

Residual Risk Awareness

• No flight is risk-free.
• After mitigation, accept only what remains as residual risk and stack the odds in your favor.

Promote Safety Culture

• Share best practices with fellow aviators.
• Conduct post-flight debriefs and performance assessments.
• Lead by example to strengthen the GA safety community.

Other Safety Resources:          

Here is a reminder of just some of the safety resources available to all pilots:          

FAASTeam:          

faasafety.gov          

The FAASTeam website is the portal to a vast array of courses, videos, links, and much more.  Remember that WINGS not only encompasses knowledge activities but also flight activities.  Use the search options to narrow down to say, flight activities for a basic phase of WINGS, and you’ll be able to find a syllabus and often a worksheet for various flight activities.  Use WINGS to keep you proficient and think of the flight activities as a progressive flight review—earnt over 12-months, rather than at the end of 24-months.          

Wait…you don’t do WINGS?          

That’s a big shame—you are missing out on a free pilot proficiency program that will help you enjoy your flying even more, allow you to earn a flight review every 12 months just by flying, and may provide insurance discounts.          

The FAASTeam WINGS pilot proficiency program is the best way for general aviation pilots to ensure they are competent, confident, and safe in their flight operations.   Oh, and being perpetually proficient will save you money in the long run.            

If you are interested in using the FAASTeam WINGS program for your personal flying or with your flying club, create an account on the FAASTeam website, http://www.faasafety.gov, and explore the collection of courses and flight activities.  Also, feel free to contact me (Jason Levine, WINGS Representative), and I’d be pleased to walk you through the program.  More on “WINGS for Clubs” can be found here in Flying Clubs Radio Episode 8 and the May 2020 Question of the Month.            

Other FAA Resources:          

Don’t forget to regularly revisit these FAA safety gems, as new material is frequently added:          

Pilot Minute          

57 Seconds to Safer Flying          

FAA Safety Briefing Magazine          

From the Flight Deck             

AOPA Air Safety Institute:          

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/air-safety-institute          

AOPA’s Air Safety Institute (ASI), which by the way is funded by the AOPA Foundation just like the Flying Clubs Initiative, is packed with exceptional content, including exceptional videos, podcasts, accident analysis, online courses, recorded webinars and more.  Completing ASI activities may also earn WINGS credits.  Of particular interest to flying club safety officers is the updated Safety to Go section.  There, you can download a selection of topics, each coming with PowerPoint slides and speaker’s notes!