Definition
A structured pre-flight checklist or scoring sheet that helps a pilot identify, weigh, and total the risks associated with a planned flight before deciding to go. A FRAT typically lists factors covering the pilot, aircraft, environment, and external pressures, assigns each a numerical value, and produces a total score that falls into a low, medium, or high risk band. The score guides the go/no-go decision or triggers additional mitigations.
Plain English
A simple worksheet a pilot fills out before a flight to add up the things that could make the trip risky — like weather, fatigue, or aircraft issues — and see whether the total is acceptable or whether the flight should be changed or cancelled.
Context Anchor
Used during preflight planning, flight training, and risk management discussions before deciding whether a flight should go ahead.
Derivation
Built from plain English: 'Flight Risk Awareness Tool.' The word 'tool' is the key part — it signals that the FRAT is a working aid, not a regulation or a test. You use it the way you'd use a checklist: to make sure nothing important gets overlooked.
Why Pilots Care
It makes hidden risks visible so pilots can decide whether to fly or adjust the plan, reducing the chance of accidents.
Intuition Check
A FRAT is not a guarantee that a flight is safe, and it is not just paperwork. It is a decision aid that helps the pilot recognize risk and act on it before flying.
Example Sentence 1
Before her cross-country, she completed the FRAT and found that low ceilings combined with her late start pushed the score into the medium-risk band, so she delayed departure by two hours.
Example Sentence 2
During the lesson the instructor showed how to use the FRAT to compare two different routes and pick the safer option.