Aeronautical Decision Making
Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) — the FAA’s foundational guidance on how pilots make safe decisions and manage hazardous attitudes.
About this document
AC 60-22, Aeronautical Decision Making, is the FAA's foundational reference on ADM — the systematic mental process a pilot uses to consistently determine the best course of action. It introduced the concepts that now run through all pilot training: the five hazardous attitudes (anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation) and their antidotes, the DECIDE model, the poor-judgment chain, and headwork under stress.
Its ideas underpin the risk-management element woven through every Airman Certification Standards task, and it pairs naturally with the Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2).
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Take a free practice test →AC-60-22 is an official FAA publication in the public domain. We host a copy so you can read it in-browser; always confirm you are reading the current edition on faa.gov. The description above is an original summary and is a study aid, not a substitute for the document or the regulations.