Definition
The first step in the risk management process, in which a person systematically recognizes and names the hazards present in a given flight, lesson, or operational situation before deciding how to deal with them. In aviation training, identifying risk means deliberately looking at the pilot, aircraft, environment, and external pressures to surface anything that could lead to an undesirable outcome.
Plain English
Spotting and naming the things that could go wrong before the flight or lesson starts, so they can be dealt with rather than discovered in the air.
Context Anchor
Used in preflight planning, flight lessons, instructor briefings, and in-flight decision-making whenever a pilot looks for problems before they become serious.
Derivation
From Latin identificare, 'to make the same as' or 'to recognize,' and risk, from Italian risco, meaning 'danger' or 'chance of loss.' Identifying risk literally means putting a name to the dangers that are present, so they stop being vague worries and become specific things to manage.
Why Pilots Care
Early identification lets the pilot choose mitigations instead of reacting after a problem has already developed.
Grounding Statement
Before a flight, identifying risk can be as simple as noticing that the wind is stronger than expected, the pilot is tired, or the aircraft has an unresolved problem.
Intuition Check
Do not assume identifying risk means being afraid or pessimistic. In aviation, it means calmly spotting conditions that could affect safety so they can be handled.
Example Sentence 1
Before the cross-country, the instructor walked the student through identifying risk by looking at the weather, the aircraft, the route, and how rested they both were.
Example Sentence 2
Before takeoff the pilot spent a few minutes identifying risk from a recent runway change and a late departure time.