Definition
An FAA publication (FAA-H-8083-2) that presents the principles, tools, and procedures used to identify, assess, and mitigate the hazards associated with flight operations. It is one of the core reference documents the FAA expects pilots and flight instructors to use when teaching and applying aeronautical decision-making.
Plain English
An official FAA book that explains how pilots should spot dangers in flying and make smart decisions to manage them.
Context Anchor
You may see this title in FAA training material, instructor guidance, and discussions about pilot decision-making and flight safety.
Derivation
Risk comes from older European words connected with danger or uncertainty. Management comes from words meaning to handle or direct something. In aviation, the phrase points to actively handling uncertainty, not pretending danger does not exist.
Why Pilots Care
Using the methods described in the handbook helps pilots make better decisions and lowers the chance of accidents caused by unrecognized hazards.
Intuition Check
Do not read risk management as eliminating all risk. In aviation, it means recognizing risk early, reducing it where possible, and making a clear decision with the remaining risk in mind.
Example Sentence 1
Before introducing the cross-country lesson, the instructor reviewed the risk assessment process from the Risk Management Handbook with the student.
Example Sentence 2
The Risk Management Handbook explains how to apply the IMSAFE checklist during preflight preparation.