Definition
In aviation workload management, the act of deciding which tasks must be handled first based on their importance to safe flight, and which can be deferred or delegated. Prioritizing follows the standard order of aviate, navigate, communicate — fly the airplane first, manage its path second, then handle radio and other tasks.
Plain English
Choosing what to do first when several things need doing at once, so that the most important task gets your attention before the less important ones.
Context Anchor
Used when managing cockpit tasks during busy moments, such as takeoff, landing, weather changes, abnormal situations, or heavy radio traffic.
Derivation
From Latin 'prior', meaning 'former' or 'first'. To prioritize is to put something in first position. In aviation, this is literal: the first thing on your list gets done first, and everything else waits.
Why Pilots Care
Poor prioritizing leads to task saturation, loss of situational awareness, and increased risk of errors or incidents.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse prioritizing with doing everything faster. In flying, prioritizing means doing the most safety-critical task first and letting lower-priority tasks wait.
Example Sentence 1
When the warning light came on during the approach, the pilot kept prioritizing flying the airplane before troubleshooting the system.
Example Sentence 2
When entering the traffic pattern, the student learned to prioritize altitude and airspeed before adjusting the radios.