Definition
In aviation risk management, the categories used to describe how risk behaves in a given situation. The two primary types are total risk (the sum of identified and unidentified risk in an activity), identified risk (risk that has been recognized through analysis or experience), unidentified risk (risk that has not yet been discovered, sometimes called unknown risk), unacceptable risk (risk that cannot be tolerated and must be eliminated or controlled), acceptable risk (the portion of identified risk allowed to remain after controls are applied), and residual risk (the risk that remains after all mitigation efforts).
Plain English
The different ways risk shows up in flying: some risks you already know about, some you haven't spotted yet, some you can live with, some you can't, and some are still left over even after you've done what you can to reduce them.
Context Anchor
Seen in risk management discussions, preflight planning, instructor briefings, and decisions about whether a flight should continue, change, or stop.
Derivation
Risk came into English through older French and Italian words connected with danger, chance, or daring. That helps here because aviation risk is about the chance of harm or loss, not a guarantee that something bad will happen.
Why Pilots Care
Classifying risks into clear types helps pilots choose the right steps to reduce danger and make safer decisions.
Grounding Statement
Before a flight, a pilot may know some risks, such as strong wind, but may also have unknown risks, such as a maintenance issue that has not yet been noticed.
Intuition Check
Do not assume risk simply means danger. In aviation, risk means the chance and seriousness of a possible bad outcome, and the types of risk help a pilot decide what to do about it.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight planning, the instructor asked the student to list each type of risk associated with the cross-country flight and decide which ones were acceptable.
Example Sentence 2
The student used the types of risk framework to evaluate weather and aircraft issues during preflight planning.