Definition
In scenario-based training, the deliberate adjustments an instructor introduces during a training flight or simulation to alter the conditions a learner is operating under, requiring the learner to reassess the situation and make new decisions. Examples include changing the destination, simulating a weather deterioration, introducing a system malfunction, or removing a planned resource such as a navigation aid.
Plain English
Changes the instructor makes to the planned scenario partway through, so the student has to think on their feet and decide what to do next.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor lesson planning for scenario-based training, especially when an instructor is preparing ways to adapt a flight or ground lesson.
Derivation
Scenario comes from a word used for the outline of scenes in a play. That helps here because a training scenario is a planned situation, not a fixed script; it can change as the lesson develops.
Why Pilots Care
Allows instructors to match the training to the student's performance, building better decision-making without breaking the realism of the scenario.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as random changes to make a lesson harder. In this context, the changes are purposeful adjustments that support the training goal and keep the lesson safe.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor built several possible scenario changes into the cross-country lesson, including a simulated alternator failure and a forecast deterioration at the destination.
Example Sentence 2
If the student handled the initial approach well, the instructor introduced one of the possible scenario changes to keep the lesson challenging.