Definition
A risk management judgment in which the pilot determines that the operational, safety, training, or mission value gained from a proposed action exceeds the level of risk that action carries, after that risk has been identified, assessed, and mitigated as far as practical. It is the threshold test used to decide whether to accept a residual risk and proceed.
Plain English
The pilot has weighed what is gained against what could go wrong, and decided the gain is worth the remaining risk.
Context Anchor
Used in aeronautical decision-making when a pilot compares the reason for a flight or action against the risks involved.
Derivation
“Outweigh” comes from the idea of a balance scale: one side weighs more than the other. In this phrase, the benefits are being mentally weighed against the dangers.
Why Pilots Care
This principle guides safe go/no-go decisions and reduces the chance of accepting unnecessary risk.
Grounding Statement
A pilot should not continue simply because a flight is possible; the reason for continuing must be strong enough to justify the danger that remains.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as “there is no danger.” It means danger still exists, but the pilot has judged that the reason for the action is strong enough to accept the remaining risk.
Example Sentence 1
After reviewing the weather, the aircraft condition, and his own currency, the pilot judged that the benefits of completing the training flight outweighed the dangers and elected to depart.
Example Sentence 2
During the briefing the instructor asked whether the training value of the maneuver still outweighed the dangers at the planned altitude.