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Aviation glossary

Resignation

What is resignation?

FAA handbook figure illustrating resignation

Resignation is one of the five hazardous attitudes in aeronautical decision-making, summed up by the thought "What's the use?" Pilots with this attitude don't believe they can make a difference in what happens to them—they credit good outcomes to luck and feel that their effort changes nothing. The antidote is to remind yourself: "I'm not helpless. I can make a difference." On the test, match the phrase "What's the use?" to resignation, and remember its antidote is "I'm not helpless."

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