10-7 Environmental Risks  External Pressure Risks  Best Practices for Managing Risk during Flight Instruction  Pilot Risks  Aircraft Risks  Environmental Risks  The instructor should involve the learner in every step of the assessment and mitigation process. For example, the weather may be  marginal VFR. If the scheduled dual instruction called for practicing stalls and slow flight, the instructor should coach the learner to  identify the risks involved in conducting stall practice under such conditions, such as inadvertently entering IMC or practicing stalls  at too low an altitude. The instructor and learner can discuss ways to mitigate the risk, such as changing the lesson plan to stay in the  traffic pattern, conducting a lesson in a flight simulation training device or ground school, or rescheduling the lesson altogether.  Environmental risks are one of the most frequent causes of accidents. These notably include risks generated by weather, terrain, and  night operation hazards and additionally include airports, airspace, and other environmental factors. All these hazards and risks will  likely come into play at some point during the instruction process. Accordingly, instructors should emphasize accurate assessment and  mitigation of such risks when providing instruction.  The instructor should determine the aircraft’s official airworthiness status before scheduled flights and before conducting the actual  preflight. Unless instructing in their own aircraft, instructors should be familiar with the aircraft operator’s procedures for reporting  and correcting discrepancies and review the current discrepancy report. Any questions regarding airworthiness status should be  resolved with maintenance personnel before conducting the preflight inspection. The instructor should consider involving the learner  in this process and should emphasize that it is intended to manage risk by reducing the likelihood and/or severity of potential hazards  and risks arising from failed equipment.  Instructor aeromedical risks should be constantly monitored using the IMSAFE model. Similarly, the instructor should communicate  with the learner to establish a confidence level that will encourage learners to come forward to disclose their own aeromedical issues  well in advance of scheduled flights, so that they may be rescheduled if necessary.  The instructor’s qualifications are paramount in mitigating currency and proficiency issues. Instructors should familiarize themselves  with aircraft models and avionics before instructing. This could be as simple as reviewing the pilot operating handbook (POH) or  avionics manuals or as extensive as acquiring flight time in such equipment before giving instruction.  Specific mitigations for the instructional hazards and risks identified in previous paragraphs include, but are not limited to, the  following procedures.  Instructors can best assess and mitigate identified risks by following the risk management procedures outlined in this chapter. In all  cases, the instructor should include the learner in the risk management during dual instruction. For example, the instructor should  emphasize that they are both responsible for maintaining a lookout to see and avoid other air traffic. The learner should also be  instructed on how to assist resolving items such as aircraft airworthiness status and issues involving the training environment, such as  airspace, NOTAMs, or TFRs.  Learners often experience scheduling problems, and this can be aggravated by aircraft problems, weather issues, and other  unpredictable events. Learners are also subject to other external pressures involving work, family, finance, and other issues. All of  these can create distractions, anxiety, and other responses that can degrade learner performance.  The airspace used for flight training and practice may be crowded, creating a potential collision hazard. Many areas of the country  where flight instruction is conducted often have restricted visibility due to haze, pollution, or other factors that aggravate a potential  collision hazard. Airspace in these areas may also be complex and subject to restrictions. Conducting certain maneuvers can also  create hazards and potential risks. For example, practicing full stalls can result in inadvertent spins. Simulated engine failures, if  performed incorrectly, can and have created real emergencies and caused accidents. Practice approaches without ATC surveillance  can concentrate aircraft along the same path. 