What are "hazardous attitudes" that flight instructors must teach students to recognize?

Hazardous attitudes are mental states that can negatively impact a pilot's decision-making and situational awareness. It’s essential for flight instructors to help students recognize and manage these attitudes as they can lead to errors in judgment and unsafe flying practices.

The attitudes identified include overconfidence, impulsivity, and invulnerability. Overconfidence can lead pilots to underestimate risks and overestimate their flying abilities, which may result in dangerous situations. Impulsivity refers to making snap decisions without fully considering the consequences, which can be particularly dangerous in a dynamic and complex flying environment. Invulnerability is the belief that one is immune to accidents; this mindset can cause a pilot to take unreasonable risks, believing that accidents happen only to others.

By educating students about these hazardous attitudes, instructors can empower them to develop self-awareness and critical thinking skills, enabling them to make more informed decisions while flying. This training ultimately promotes a culture of safety and responsibility in aviation.