Contrary to popular belief, good judgment can be taught.  Tradition held that good judgment was a natural by-product  of experience, and as pilots continued to log accident-free  flight hours, a corresponding increase of good judgment  was assumed. Building upon the foundation of conventional  decision-making, ADM enhances the process to decrease  the probability of human error and increase the probability  of a safe flight. ADM provides a structured, systematic  approach to analyzing changes that occur during a flight  and how these changes might affect a flight’s safe outcome.  The ADM process addresses all aspects of decision-making  in the flight deck and identifies the steps involved in good  decision-making.  his advantage. Noteworthy about this example is how easily  pilots are swayed from taking best courses of action when  convenient courses are interpreted as being in our best interest. D etect a change or hazard. In the case at hand, the pilot was  running late after conducting business meetings early in the  morning. He and his family departed one hour later than  expected. In this case, one would assess the late departure  for impact to include the need to amend the arrival time. However, if the pilot is impetuous, these circumstances  translate into a hazard. Because this pilot was in a hurry, he  did not assess for impact and, as a result, did not amend the  arrival time. Key in any decision-making is detecting the  situation and its subtleties as a hazard; otherwise, no action  is taken by the pilot. It is often the case that the pilot fails to  see the evolving hazard. On the other hand, a pilot who does  see and understand the hazard, yet makes a decision to ignore  it, does not benefit from a decision-making process; the issue  is not understanding decision-making, but one of attitude. E stimate the need to counter or react to the change. As the  pilot progressed to the destination, it became apparent that  the destination weather (at Craig Field in Jacksonville) was  forecast as below approach minimums (due to fog) at the  time of arrival. However, weather at an alternative airport  just 40 miles away was visual flight rules (VFR). At this  time, the pilot should have assessed several factors to include  the probability of making a successful approach and landing  at Craig versus using an alternative field. In one case, the  approach is certainly challenging, but it is an approach at  the intended destination. The other location (unencumbered  by weather) is inconvenient to the personnel waiting on the  ground, requiring that they drive 40 miles to meet the pilot  and his family. ADM results in helping to manage risk. When a pilot follows  good decision-making practices, the inherent risk in a flight is  reduced or even eliminated. The ability to make good decisions  is based upon direct or indirect experience and education.  Consider automobile seat belt use. In just two decades, seat  belt use has become the norm, placing those who do not  wear seat belts outside the norm, but this group may learn to  wear a seat belt by either direct or indirect experience. For  example, a driver learns through direct experience about the  value of wearing a seat belt when he or she is involved in a car  accident that leads to a personal injury. An indirect learning  experience occurs when a loved one is injured during a car  accident because he or she failed to wear a seat belt.  C hoose a desirable outcome for the flight. Selecting a  desirable outcome requires objectivity, and this is when  pilots make grave errors. Instead of selecting the course of  outcome with consideration to challenges of airmanship,  pilots typically select an outcome that is convenient for both  themselves and others. And without other onboard or external  input, the choice is not only flawed but also reinforced by  their own rationale. In this case, the pilot of the Merlin intends  to make the approach at Craig despite 100 feet ceilings with  ¼ mile visibility. While poor decision-making in everyday life does not always  lead to tragedy, the margin for error in aviation is narrow.  Since ADM enhances management of an aeronautical  environment, all pilots should become familiar with and  employ ADM. Analytical decision-making is a form of decision-making that  takes both time and evaluation of options. A form of this type  of decision-making is based upon the acronym “DECIDE.”  It provides a six-step process for the pilot to logically make  good aeronautical decisions. For example, a pilot who flew  from Houston, Texas to Jacksonville, Florida in a Merlin  failed to use the decision-making process correctly and to  I dentify actions that can successfully control the change. In  the situation being discussed, the pilot looks at success as  meeting several objectives:  1. Being on time for Thanksgiving dinner 2. Not inconveniencing his relatives waiting on the  ground 5-3 Analytical Decision-Making Steps for good decision-making are:  1.  Identifying personal attitudes hazardous to safe flight. 2.  Learning behavior modification techniques. 3.  Learning how to recognize and cope with stress. 4.  Developing risk assessment skills. 5.  Using all resources. 6.  Evaluating the effectiveness of one’s ADM skills.