Plain English Meaning

These are the risks that come from the pilot themselves — how they're feeling, how rested they are, how current they are, and how much experience they have with this kind of flight. The pilot is part of the risk picture, not separate from it.

Full Definition

The internal hazards a pilot brings to a flight — physical, mental, emotional, and experiential factors that can degrade decision-making, perception, or performance. Pilot risks are one of the four risk categories an instructor teaches a student to evaluate during preflight risk assessment, alongside aircraft, environment, and external pressures.

Context Anchor

Used in FAA instruction and preflight planning when a pilot or instructor is identifying what could make a planned flight unsafe.