information before a pilot. For example, precipitation is often  visible on the chase vehicles long before it compromises a  balloon’s inflight performance or gains a pilot’s attention.  The crew can also warn a pilot who is contour flying into  the sun of power lines downwind or of livestock behind trees  or buildings. A crew report on the current state of variable  surface conditions can alert a pilot who is descending or  landing into winds different from those of launch or flight.  Crew action can easily mean the difference between a safe  flight and an accident. The essential and decisive roles crew and other human  resources play in ballooning also create an ironic dilemma/ dynamic between legal and operational realities. 14 CFR  part 91 requires a pilot to act as the sole and final authority  regarding operation of the balloon, yet every pilot must rely  on crew who are not trained, certified, or even recognized  by any governing body for a flight to occur. Each pilot thus  requires and leads this integral, yet legally invisible team  on each flight. Overlooking, minimizing, or dismissing the  crew’s role opens the door to mishaps. Safety often lies in  recognizing how the crew’s skill, knowledge, and experience  complement and enhance the pilot’s own. While all final  decisions and the responsibility for safety still rest with the  pilot, this broader than usual SRM model recognizes the  human resources upon which every pilot relies for safe flight  planning and decision-making. Flying involves risk. To stay safe, a pilot needs to know  how to judge the level of risk, how to minimize it, and  when to accept it. The risk management decision path is  best seen through the Perceive-Process-Perform model  [Figure 1-7]  which offers a structured way to manage risk. During each flight, decisions must be made regarding events  that involve interactions between the four risk elements—the  pilot in command, the aircraft, the environment, and the  operation.  [Figure 1-8]  One of the most important decisions a  pilot in command makes is the go/no-go decision. Evaluating  each of these risk elements can help a pilot decide whether a  flight should be conducted or continued. Below is a review of  the four risk elements and how they affect decision-making. Perceive hazards by looking at: Process risk level by considering: Perform risk management: •  Environment—this encompasses many elements not  pilot or balloon related. It includes, but is not limited  to, such factors as weather, terrain, launch and landing  areas, and surrounding obstacles. Weather is one  element that can change drastically over time and  •  Balloon—a pilot frequently bases decisions on the  evaluations of the balloon, such as performance,  equipment, or airworthiness. A pilot is on an afternoon  flight in a rural area. Landing areas are becoming sparse  because the terrain is mostly swampland. The wind  is decreasing and sunset is only half and hour away.  Should he or she continue to fly over this terrain?  •  Pilot—a pilot must continually make decisions about  his or her competency, condition of health, mental  and emotional state, level of fatigue, etc. For example,  a pilot may plan for an early morning flight after an  all night drive, which means little sleep. Tired, achy,  congested from the beginnings of a cold, is that pilot  safe to fly?  •  Eliminate—can hazards be removed? •  Transfer—can someone be consulted? •  External factors (get-home-itus). •  Reality (avoid wishful thinking), and •  Alternatives that eliminate hazards, •  Consequences posed by each hazard, •  External factors. •  Environment (weather, terrain); and •  Aircraft performance, fuel; •  Pilot experience, currency, condition; •  Mitigate—can the risk be reduced? •  Accept—do benefits outweigh risk? Risk Management 1-9 Figure 1-7.  The Perceive-Process-Perform model.