Flying the airplane well is only half of flying safely. The other half is deciding well, and decisions are shaped by attitude. The FAA teaches five hazardous attitudes, each with a short antidote you say to yourself when you catch the thought. You will meet them on the written test and in the oral, and if you fly long enough you will meet all five in your own head. This page defines each one, puts it in a situation you could face flying out of Van Nuys, and ends with ten scenarios to test yourself.
Quick answer: The five hazardous attitudes in the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge are anti-authority ("Don't tell me"), impulsivity ("Do it quickly"), invulnerability ("It won't happen to me"), macho ("I can do it") and resignation ("What's the use?"). Their antidotes are: follow the rules, they are usually right; not so fast, think first; it could happen to me; taking chances is foolish; and I'm not helpless, I can make a difference.
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Why The FAA Tests Attitudes
Aeronautical decision-making is the FAA's name for the systematic way a pilot decides what to do. Chapter 2 of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C) defines an attitude as a motivational predisposition to respond to people, situations or events in a given way, and identifies five that interfere with sound decisions. The method it teaches is short: recognize the hazardous thought, label it, then state the antidote. The handbook says the antidotes should be memorized so they come to mind automatically.
The private pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C) lists hazardous attitudes as a risk management element under Area I, Task H, Human Factors. Risk management elements are mainly evaluated on the knowledge test, and the examiner can also build an oral scenario around them.
| Attitude | What It Sounds Like | Antidote |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-authority | "Don't tell me." | Follow the rules. They are usually right. |
| Impulsivity | "Do it quickly." | Not so fast. Think first. |
| Invulnerability | "It won't happen to me." | It could happen to me. |
| Macho | "I can do it." | Taking chances is foolish. |
| Resignation | "What's the use?" | I'm not helpless. I can make a difference. |
Anti-Authority
This is the pilot who resents being told what to do and treats rules, regulations and procedures as silly or unnecessary. The handbook adds a fair point: questioning authority is always your prerogative when you believe it is wrong. The hazard is ignoring it rather than questioning it.
At Van Nuys: your instructor wrote a crosswind limit into your solo endorsement. The ATIS is a few knots over it, and the thought arrives that the limit is a box-ticking exercise by someone who has not seen your recent landings. The antidote is to fly within the limit today and argue about it on the ground tomorrow. Follow the rules. They are usually right.
Impulsivity
The impulsive pilot feels the need to do something, anything, right now. They do not pause, they do not weigh alternatives, and they do the first thing that comes to mind.
At Van Nuys: the tower offers an immediate departure while you are still working through the before-takeoff checklist. Accepting feels efficient and helpful. The right answer is "unable" until the checklist is done; the tower will fit you in a minute later. Not so fast. Think first.
Invulnerability
Invulnerable pilots know accidents happen, and they know anyone can be affected, but they never really believe it will be them. Pilots who think this way take more chances.
At Van Nuys: it is late spring and the marine layer is creeping back over the ridge while you practice maneuvers near the coast. You tell yourself the pilots who get trapped on top are the careless ones. The antidote is to turn back while the way home is still clear. It could happen to me.
Macho
The macho pilot is always trying to prove they are better than anyone else and takes risks to impress. The handbook is explicit that this is not a male trait; women are equally susceptible.
At Van Nuys: you passed your checkride last month and a friend is in the right seat with a phone out. A steeper, lower turn than anything you have practiced would make a better video. Taking chances is foolish.
Resignation
Resigned pilots do not believe they can make much difference to what happens. Good outcomes are luck, bad ones are someone else's fault, and they leave the action to others. The handbook notes they may go along with unreasonable requests just to be a "nice guy."
At Van Nuys: the engine starts running rough over the Valley and you keep the same heading, hoping it smooths out, instead of running the checklist and turning toward the airport. I'm not helpless. I can make a difference.
Test Yourself
Ten short scenarios. For each, choose the attitude it shows, then read the antidote. With the new site theme this runs one question at a time and gives you a score; without it, the answer is printed under each question.
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The crosswind is just over the limit in your solo endorsement. You think the limit is pointless paperwork.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Anti-authority: treating a limit as unnecessary. Antidote: follow the rules, they are usually right.
-
Ground control gives you an unexpected taxi route. You start rolling and plan to work it out on the way.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Impulsivity: acting before thinking. Antidote: not so fast, think first. Read back, check the diagram, then taxi.
-
Low cloud is building over the coast, but you continue because weather traps only catch careless pilots.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Invulnerability: it happens to others. Antidote: it could happen to me.
-
Your passenger is filming, so you fly a steeper turn than you have ever practiced.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Macho: taking a risk to impress. Antidote: taking chances is foolish.
-
The engine runs rough. You decide there is nothing you can do and hold your heading, hoping.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Resignation: believing you cannot change the outcome. Antidote: I'm not helpless, I can make a difference. Run the checklist and turn toward a landing site.
-
You skip the weather briefing for a local flight because you see briefings as box-ticking for other people.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Anti-authority: regarding procedures as unnecessary. Antidote: follow the rules, they are usually right.
-
High and fast on final, you shove the nose down and force the landing, the first fix that comes to mind, instead of going around.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Impulsivity: doing the first thing that comes to mind. Antidote: not so fast, think first. A go-around is always available.
-
You plan a cross-country with a thin fuel margin because running low is something that happens to other pilots.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Invulnerability. Antidote: it could happen to me. Plan the reserve you would want if the wind is worse than forecast.
-
A pilot you admire says he would fly in today's gusts, so you go too, to show you can handle it.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Macho: proving yourself. Antidote: taking chances is foolish.
-
Your passenger wants to press on under lowering clouds. You have doubts but go along so as not to disappoint them.
- Anti-authority
- Impulsivity
- Invulnerability
- Macho
- Resignation
Resignation: leaving the decision to someone else to be a "nice guy." Antidote: I'm not helpless, I can make a difference. You are the pilot in command.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Hazardous Attitudes Show Up On The Written Test?
The FAA does not publish its test questions, but expect a short description of a pilot's thinking and a question asking which attitude it shows or which antidote applies. Learn the five labels and their antidotes word for word; our private pilot written practice test is a good place to check your recall.
How Do They Show Up On The Oral?
As scenarios. The examiner describes a situation, often weather or a passenger applying pressure, and asks what you would do and why. Naming the attitude and the antidote, then saying what you would actually do, is the complete answer. Our private pilot oral exam guide covers Task I.H alongside the rest of Area I.
Which Hazardous Attitude Is The Most Dangerous?
The FAA does not rank them. The practical danger is the one you do not recognize in yourself, which is why the method starts with recognizing the thought.
Are Hazardous Attitudes The Same As IMSAFE?
No. IMSAFE is a personal checklist for physical and mental readiness: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue and emotion. The hazardous attitudes are about how you make decisions once you are fit to fly. Both appear in the same chapter of the handbook.
Do I Have To Memorize The Antidotes Exactly?
The handbook recommends memorizing them so they come to mind automatically. Knowing the handbook's wording also makes them easy to spot in a test question, where the answer choices tend to be close.
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Related Reading
- Private pilot license in Los Angeles: how the training fits together.
- Flyable days at Van Nuys: the marine layer, month by month.
- Weather and cancellation policy: why a canceled lesson costs you nothing.
- Student pilot resources: the whole path in order.
Sources: Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 2: Aeronautical Decision-Making; FAA-S-ACS-6C, Private Pilot for Airplane Category ACS, Area I Task H.