Plain English Meaning

Noticing when your own thinking is heading somewhere unsafe, and steering it back. It is the skill of catching attitudes like overconfidence, impatience, or 'it won't happen to me' early enough to correct them before they shape a bad decision in the cockpit.

Full Definition

The deliberate practice by a pilot of recognizing hazardous personal attitudes, understanding how those attitudes affect decision-making, and applying mental antidotes to replace them with safe, rational thinking before and during flight.

Context Anchor

Seen in aeronautical decision-making training, scenario-based flight instruction, preflight decisions, and instructor debriefs after a flight.