@ Chopper Jog
Two books I can really recommend to you are (and in fact to any pilot who takes his profession serious):
'Redefining Airmanship' , and
'Flight Discipline'
both by Tony Kern.
Following I will post a passage about the definition of judgement wich I found in the first book, and which I think to be quite true.
Quote:
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Webster defined judgement as 'the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning or comparing' (Webster's 1990 ). For the purpose of aviation decision making, however, we must go beyond this basic definition. The Federal Aviation Administration uses a more detailed definition that hints at several aspects of the arimanship model:
Pilot judgment is the process of recognizing and analyzing all available information about oneself, the aircraft, the flying environment, and the purpose of the flight. This is followed by a rational evaluation of alternatives to implment a timely decision which assures safety. Pilot judgment thus involves one's attitudes towards risk-taking and one's ability to evaluate risks and make decisions based upon one's knowledge, skills, and experiance. A judgmental decision always involves a problem or choice, an unknown element and usually a time constraint and stress (FAA 1988).
Even this expanded definition may not totally capture the complexity of judgment, because it fails to adequately incorporate the team into the process and leaves one with the feeling that judgment is exclusively an individual act. This would be the wrong message. In aviation, judment is the process of comparing and evaluating courses of action - as identified by the individual flyer and the extended flight team. These courses of action are partially developed long before they are actually needed and involve preparation, communication, knowledge, and skill aquisition to make the most appropriate decision when the time comes. Good judgement tips the scales of chance and probability in your favour. The 'appropriateness' of the decision is determined by the objectives of the flight and the flyer.
In most cases, safety is the most important factor in good jedgment and decision making. But flyers - especially commercial and miltary flyers - cannot always take the mos conservative approach to all situations. In fact, in some military decisions, safety may well be a secondary concern behind mission accomplishment, but these type of missions are few and far between. The benefits of solid decision making and good judgment hold across the spectrum of aviation, whether you are a general aviation pilot trying to determine if you should chance a takeoff under deteriorating weather conditions or an F-15 driver weighing the pros and cons of a one-versus-four fight. As mystical as the process seems, there has been a great deal of excellent research accomplished in the past two decades, and several pieces of solid information and guidance have emerged to aid our understanding and self-improvement. The crucial first step towards consistent good judgement is to effectively asses each situation.
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Unquote
(From T. Kern, 'Redefining Airmanship', P. 258, Judgment defined).
As said before, I can really recommend both books.
Hope this helped.
So long,
DBate