As pilots, we are all aware that our flying activities are somewhat ‘risky’ and require the upmost attention to detail to help prevent accidents. In fact, statistics have shown that private piloting is in the same risk category and motorcycling for instance. Being a long-time motorcycle enthusiast as well as a pilot for more than half a century (ok, now I feel really old!), I am personally aware of these risks. In fact, one of the major concentrations of Athens State University’s Aerospace Systems Management degree program (where I serve as a major professor) is aviation/aerospace safety and risk management.

In motorcycling, a rider must be forever conscious of his or her surroundings to include road conditions and weather, highway traffic density, equipment condition and performance, and probably most importantly, what the other drivers and ‘traffic’ are doing. I’ve heard it countless times that ‘you have to drive for yourself and everyone else too’. This statement holds true for flying as well. A major difference is that, of course, a pilot doesn’t easily have the option of ‘pulling off the road’ to mitigate a risk.

In terms of risk management, the techniques employed often are contrary to the old axiom of ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’. In fact, risk mitigation in aviation depends heavily upon ‘fixing it before it breaks’. Case in point is the requirement for annual aircraft inspections and bi-annual review of piloting skills and knowledge. The latter ‘bi-annual’ should be approached as more of a refresher in these areas to keep piloting skills honed to a fine finish rather than as a ‘test’ of some sort. The goal of our CAF aviation risk management activities here is to provide members with convenient links to learning opportunities in aviation safety and risk management education.