in judgment and decision-making become increasingly  limited, particularly in high wind conditions. The most  common causal factors for landing accidents include collision  with obstructions in the intended landing area. Prior to a  flight, a pilot should assess personal fitness. The “I’m Safe  Checklist” helps a pilot determine his or her ability to fly.  [Figure 1-6]  A variant of the CRM model that may be of more practical  application to the balloon pilot is Single-Pilot Resource  Management (SRM), which may be defined as “the art and  science of managing all resources (both from on-board and  external sources) available to the single-pilot (prior to and  during flight) to ensure the successful outcome of the flight.”  Virtually all ballooning is done as a single-pilot operation;  there is no “crew resource” available from the perspective of  having a co-pilot to assist in workload management.  For any single pilot, the primary emphasis of SRM is to  integrate the underlying thinking skills needed by the pilot  to consistently determine the best course of action to take  in response to a given set of circumstances. SRM integrates  the following concepts: The “What If” discussions an instructor pilot has with a  student pilot are designed to accelerate development of  decision-making skills by posing situations for the trainee to  ponder. Research has shown that these types of discussions  help build judgment and offset low experience. Once a  student pilot has obtained his or her certification, it is  important that he or she continue to evaluate flight decisions.  To self-evaluate: Balloons differ from general aviation aircraft in the balloon  pilot’s reliance on diverse human resources for flight.  Human resources include all groups working with pilots  to ensure flight safety. A safe balloon flight includes, but  is not limited to, a crew chief and ground crew, weather  briefers, volunteers, spectators, “locals” with current  and often unpublished information on roads and landing  sites, landowners, and others who contribute assistance or  information. Balloons differ from airplanes in their reliance  on unlicensed, non-FAA-certified/recognized, and even first  time volunteers to assemble and support ground handling  of the balloon. Crew action—or inaction—at any stage of  flight can contribute as much or more to flight safety than  pilot input. Balloon flight safety often relies on many people  beyond those onboard. For example, a routine inflation on most balloons requires  several sets of hands; moderate winds can quickly mean more  help is needed. Having someone to handle a drop line offers  a pilot landing site options inaccessible through onboard  maneuvering. Added weight or “hands on” allows a pilot to  choose a smaller landing site than when landing unassisted, or  it can mean avoiding trees, power lines, or other obstacles. ADM originated with the airline industry in an attempt  to reduce human factors in aircraft accidents. The airlines  developed a training program for flight crews called Crew  Resource Management (CRM). It focuses on the effective use  of all available resources to prevent accidents. While CRM  focuses on pilots operating in crew environments, many of  the concepts apply to single-pilot operations, but are not a  “best fit” for balloon operations.  Crew members make important information contributions to  flight safety because crew can access real time flight related  1-8 Crew Resource Management Human Resources Evaluating ADM Skills Single-Pilot Resource Management Illness— Do I have any symptoms? Medication —Have I been taking prescription or over-the-counter drugs? Stress —Am I under psychological pressure from  the job? Worried about financial matters, health  problems, or family discord? Alcohol —Have I been drinking within 8 hours? Within 24 hours? Fatigue —Am I tired and not adequately rested? Eating —Am I adequately nourished? I’M SAFE CHECKLIST y y p g g p p j , p y g p g p , y g g q y Figure 1-5. Safe checklist. Figure 1-6.  Prior to flight, a pilot should assess personal fitness,  just as he or she evaluates the balloon’s airworthiness. •  Human Resources •  Risk Management •  Situational Awareness •  Training •  Decision-Making Process •  Pose an open-ended question about the situation  encountered during flight, •  Examine the decision made, •  Explore other ways to solve the problem, and •  Evaluate whether or not the best solution was used.