Definition
A risk management skill in which the pilot, having identified and assessed a hazard, takes deliberate action to control or eliminate the risk and then commits to a course of action. It is the third step in the perceive-process-perform model used to teach aeronautical decision-making, following the perception of a hazard and the processing of its significance.
Plain English
After spotting a risk and thinking through how serious it is, you do something about it and decide what to do next. It is the moment you stop weighing the situation and act.
Context Anchor
Seen in the Aviation Instructor’s Handbook when instructors evaluate how well a learner handles risk and decision-making during training.
Derivation
Two ordinary English words paired to name a single skill: 'manage' (handle or control) and 'decide' (choose a course of action). The hyphen signals that they are treated as one step, not two — the pilot manages the risk and decides at the same time.
Why Pilots Care
Effective Manage-Decide actions directly reduce the chance of an accident by turning recognized risks into controlled choices rather than leaving them unaddressed.
Grounding Statement
At the Manage-Decide level, the learner is not just explaining safety choices; the learner is making them in real time.
Intuition Check
Do not read Manage-Decide as simply “being in charge” or “making any decision.” In this FAA training context, it means managing the situation and choosing a safe, appropriate action with minimal instructor prompting.
Example Sentence 1
When the ceiling began to drop below the forecast, the pilot used the Manage-Decide step to divert to a nearby airport rather than press on.
Example Sentence 2
When the destination airport reported gusty crosswinds, the pilot used Manage-Decide to select an alternate with better conditions instead of continuing.