Definition
One of the five hazardous attitudes identified by the FAA. Impulsivity is the tendency to act immediately, without thinking, when a situation arises in flight. The pilot feels they must do something — anything — right now, and chooses the first option that comes to mind rather than the best one.
Plain English
The urge to act fast without stopping to think. The pilot does the first thing that pops into their head instead of pausing to work out the right thing to do.
Context Anchor
Seen in aeronautical decision-making training, especially when learning to recognize hazardous attitudes before they affect a flight.
Derivation
From Latin 'impulsus' meaning 'a push' or 'driven onward.' The word captures the feeling of being pushed into action by the situation itself, rather than choosing the action deliberately.
Why Pilots Care
Impulsive actions can cause pilots to skip checklists, ignore warnings, or make hasty decisions that lead to accidents.
Intuition Check
Impulsivity does not mean simply being fast or decisive. In this FAA context, it means acting so quickly that good judgment may be skipped.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor recognized impulsivity in the student when, at the first sign of a rough-running engine, he reached for the mixture control without first checking the fuel selector or carb heat.
Example Sentence 2
Recognizing his own impulsivity, the pilot forced himself to run the entire pre-landing checklist before descending into the traffic pattern.