Figure 6-19. Understanding automation requires not just  familiarization with the concepts but thorough understanding of  the different systems. Figure 6-18. Passengers can be used effectively within the flight  deck; simple things such as keeping an eye out for other aircraft  is invaluable. Chapter Summary Programming  airline connections or important business meetings easily  enters into a pilot’s decision-making loop. Done in a healthy  and open way, this can be a positive factor. Consider a  flight to Dulles Airport and the passengers, both close  friends and business partners, need to get to Washington,  D.C., for an important meeting. The weather is VFR all the  way to southern Virginia then turns to low IFR as the pilot  approaches Dulles. A pilot employing the 5P approach might  consider reserving a rental car at an airport in northern North  Carolina or southern Virginia to coincide with a refueling  stop. Thus, the passengers have a way to get to Washington,  and the pilot has an alternate plan to avoid being pressured  into continuing the flight if the conditions do not improve.  The SRM process is simple. At least five times before and  during the flight, the pilot should review and consider the  plan, plane, pilot, passengers, and programming and make  the appropriate decision required by the current situation. It is  often said that failure to make a decision is a decision. Under  SRM and the 5 Ps, even the decision to make no changes to  the current plan is made through a careful consideration of  all the risk factors present. Passengers can also be pilots. If no one is designated as pilot  in command (PIC) and unplanned circumstances arise, the  decision-making styles of several self-confident pilots may  come into conflict. Pilots also need to understand that non- pilots may not understand the level of risk involved in the  flight. There is an element of risk in every flight. That is why  SRM calls it risk management, not risk elimination. While  a pilot may feel comfortable with the risk present in a night  IFR flight, the passengers may not. A pilot employing SRM  should ensure the passengers are involved in the decision- making and given tasks and duties to keep them busy and  involved. If, upon a factual description of the risks present,  the passengers decide to buy an airline ticket or rent a car, then  a good decision has generally been made. This discussion  also allows the pilot to move past what he or she thinks the  passengers want to do and find out what they actually want  to do. This removes self-induced pressure from the pilot.  The advanced avionics aircraft adds an entirely new dimension  to the way GA aircraft are flown. The electronic instrument  displays, GPS, and autopilot reduce pilot workload and  increase pilot situational awareness.  [Figure 16-19]  While  programming and operation of these devices are fairly simple  and straightforward unlike the analog instruments they  replace, they tend to capture the pilot’s attention and hold it  for long periods of time. To avoid this phenomenon, the pilot  should plan in advance when and where the programming for  approaches, route changes, and airport information gathering  should be accomplished, as well as times it should not.  Pilot familiarity with the equipment, the route, the local air  traffic control environment, and personal capabilities vis-à- vis the automation should drive when, where, and how the  automation is programmed and used.  The pilot should also consider what his or her capabilities  are in response to last minute changes of the approach (and  the reprogramming required) and ability to make large-scale  changes (a reroute for instance) while hand flying the aircraft.  Since formats are not standardized, simply moving from one  manufacturer’s equipment to another should give the pilot  pause and require more conservative planning and decisions.  6-13