Definition
The pilot's accurate, ongoing perception and understanding of all factors affecting the flight at any given moment, including aircraft position, configuration, performance, weather, traffic, terrain, fuel state, airspace, and the projected status of these factors in the near future.
Plain English
Knowing what is going on around you, what your aircraft is doing, and what is likely to happen next — and keeping that picture updated as the flight progresses.
Context Anchor
You encounter this term when using instruments, cockpit displays, charts, traffic information, weather information, and other tools that help you keep a clear picture of the flight.
Derivation
From Latin situatio (position, location) and Old French aware (watchful, vigilant). The phrase entered military aviation in the mid-20th century to describe a pilot's mental picture of the tactical environment, and was adopted into civil aviation training.
Why Pilots Care
Loss of situation awareness is a leading factor in controlled-flight-into-terrain and loss-of-control accidents during instrument flight.
Grounding Statement
A pilot with good situation awareness can look away from the instruments and still explain the aircraft’s location, direction, condition, and next likely concern.
Intuition Check
Situation awareness does not mean simply having more information on a screen. It means understanding the information well enough to know what is happening now and what may happen next.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor reminded the student that scanning outside, cross-checking instruments, and listening to ATC are all part of maintaining situation awareness.
Example Sentence 2
When the autopilot failed, the pilot quickly restored situation awareness by returning to basic instrument scan before making any heading changes.