Definition
An FAA Advisory Circular that provides guidance on Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM), describing a systematic approach pilots use to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances. It introduces concepts such as hazardous attitudes, the DECIDE model, risk management, and stress management, and is the foundational reference for ADM training in civil aviation.
Plain English
It is an official FAA document that teaches pilots how to make good decisions in the cockpit. It explains the mental traps pilots fall into, how to spot them, and a step-by-step way to think through problems before acting.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA training material when discussing aeronautical decision-making and pilot judgment.
Derivation
An Advisory Circular (AC) is the FAA's way of issuing non-regulatory guidance. The number 60-22 identifies its place in the FAA's numbering system: the 60-series covers airmen (pilots), and 22 is the specific document. So AC 60-22 simply means 'FAA guidance document number 22 in the pilot series.'
Why Pilots Care
Helps reduce the pilot-error accidents that remain the leading cause of fatal crashes by giving instructors a clear framework to teach better real-time judgment.
Intuition Check
Do not read AC 60-22 as a regulation by itself. It is FAA guidance, not a rulebook section, but instructors and pilots use it because it explains important safety concepts clearly.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor referenced AC 60-22 when introducing the five hazardous attitudes during the student's first ground lesson on decision-making.
Example Sentence 2
During the lesson the CFI pulled up AC 60-22 to show how a simple risk assessment can prevent a last-minute go/no-go mistake.