A Course in Decision Making for Pilots

Should you do this course? Yes? No? Maybe? What would the benefits be? What would the cons be? What else could you do instead? When would you do it? How would you do it? What would the outcome be?

If you’ve read through all that and have an answer then CONGRATS, you already have a semi decent decision making process in place. If you read through it and found your brain starting to heat up because making a decision hurts it then I can tell you the answer now: Do this course. Either way, I suggest reading on to get some more information before deciding so you can review though…

Problem Solving and Decision Making is a BIG old skill for pilots to have. But it isn’t something we just wake up one day able to do though, it comes with practice and experience. So, this course isn’t going to turn you into an Optimal Decision Making Maestro, but hopefully it will provide some insights, ideas and interactive practice scenarios so you can learn a little more about how to make decisions.

By the end of the course you will:

• Have learned about several decision making models and how to apply them
• Have reviewed some aviation accidents/incidents where decision making was a primary factor
• Understand how to better weigh up options, benefits and risks
• Start to build your own decision making process
• Start to think about how to reflect on and review your decisions/outcomes
• Know exactly what you want for dinner and never have difficult deciding again

What this course won’t teach you*:

• How to never make a mistake
• How to be a perfect pilot
• Anything official or “training”

*Why do we say that? Well, because this isn’t a training course. It is just designed to (hopefully) be helpful and handy. It is created by other pilots to be useful. That’s all.