Definition
In the Aviation Instructor's Handbook, Explain is the second level of learner performance when assessing Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM) skills. At this level, the learner can describe the SRM skill or principle, state why it matters, and identify when it should be applied — but is not yet able to consistently apply it in flight. It sits above 'Describe' (basic recall) and below 'Practice' and 'Perform' on the SRM assessment scale.
Plain English
The learner can talk through what an SRM skill is, why it's used, and when to use it — but hasn't yet shown they can actually do it well in the cockpit.
Context Anchor
Used by flight instructors when judging a learner’s decision-making and risk-management skills during scenario training, ground discussion, or a postflight review.
Derivation
From Latin 'explanare' — 'ex-' (out) + 'planus' (flat, plain), literally 'to make flat or clear.' In this context, the learner is making the concept clear by talking it through, not yet by doing it.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing where a learner sits on the SRM scale tells the instructor what to teach next. A pilot who can Explain a skill still needs guided practice before that skill is reliable under real flight workload.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “Explain” means the learner has fully mastered the skill in the airplane. In this FAA assessment use, it means the learner can clearly describe the idea and the reason behind it.
Example Sentence 1
After the ground lesson, the instructor noted the student had reached the Explain level for risk management — she could walk through the PAVE checklist and say why each element mattered.
Example Sentence 2
During the debrief the instructor asked the student to explain how the go-around decision followed SRM principles.