Definition
A Flight Risk Assessment Tool that evaluates the hazards of a planned flight using descriptive categories and qualitative judgments rather than assigned point values. The pilot or instructor reviews items such as pilot fitness, aircraft condition, environment, and external pressures, and forms an overall picture of risk through reasoning rather than by adding scores to reach a numerical threshold.
Plain English
A pre-flight risk checklist where you think through each risk factor and decide if the flight is safe to make, instead of scoring each factor with numbers and adding them up.
Context Anchor
Used in pre-solo planning when an instructor and student review whether the conditions, the airplane, and the pilot are suitable for the planned flight.
Derivation
Non-numerical' simply means 'without numbers.' The contrast is with numerical FRATs, which assign point values to each risk item and produce a total score. A non-numerical version skips the scoring and relies on discussion and judgment.
Why Pilots Care
Allows student pilots to recognize and address risks in everyday language before flying alone, supporting safer decision-making without added complexity.
Intuition Check
Non-numerical does not mean informal or less serious. It means the tool uses clear descriptions or checklist answers instead of a numerical score.
Example Sentence 1
Before her first solo, the instructor walked through a non-numerical FRAT with her, discussing weather, fatigue, and aircraft readiness before agreeing the flight could proceed.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors often introduce a non-numerical FRAT first so pre-solo students can focus on the meaning of each risk factor.