Hangar Talk: Making the Go/No-Go Decision

7 Oct, 25

Hangar Talk Wings Safety Seminar: Making the Go/No-Go Decision

On October 7, 2025, we hosted a Hangar Talk Wings Safety Seminar focused on one of the most critical decisions a pilot faces: Making the Go/No-Go Decision.

We posed the question: “Tell us a time you learned from making the WRONG decision.”

The responses from our group of pilots — spanning general aviation, helicopter, corporate, and airline operations — were a powerful reminder that even experienced aviators make mistakes, and that the lesson learned is what matters.

• Obie Young opened with a simple truth: “I learn every time I fly.”
• Ryan Binns shared a story of crossing from Alaska over the Alcan Highway, believing conditions were acceptable. The weather deteriorated rapidly, and he was forced into a scud run.
• Jay Lugo recalled a helicopter instruction flight where they had to leave the pattern only to discover the student’s iPad wasn’t working — leaving them with no maps.
• Monice Mieles admitted to believing past proficiency was enough, only to realize she wasn’t current.
• Scotty Douglas described an inadvertent IMC penetration en route to Cross City, discovering that “inside the cloud was a bigger cloud.” He had a rough ride out of it.
• Paul Crotty thought he’d be safe above a cloud layer — but got stuck above it.
• Daniel Cedeno flew a PA-28 Archer to Jekyll Island under family pressure, even though the weather wasn’t perfect. They made it, but he was nervous.
• Rich Boney noted he’s disturbed when passengers pressure pilots to go in worsening conditions. He’s put his foot down several times and said “NO.”
• Christopher Schmidt learned the hard way in a Piper Aztec in Cheyenne, WY, that high density altitude severely degrades performance — he was barely climbing at 100 feet per minute.
• Bill Spinelli recalled his UPS days, when the pressure to deliver sometimes meant going in marginal weather and getting bumped around.
• Ryan Murphy was pressured by his CFI to go fly because “they needed to build time.”
• Joshua Agosto was late for a return time and pushed the performance envelope more than he was comfortable with.
• Mike O’Leary pointed out that airlines are always under pressure to be “on time,” and peer pressure from other carriers can push them to go.
• Neil Narwani used to think it was a good idea to go up and “have a look” — until the weather closed in behind him once.
• Stacey Cohen figured a helicopter could fly under the weather if necessary. The weather had a different idea.
• John Tenney ignored the three-strike rule on a rental Cessna 172 and got scared when the engine started fluctuating.

The common thread?

Pressure — from passengers, employers, schedules, ego, or the simple desire to get where you’re going — is the enemy of sound decision-making. The Go/No-Go decision is never truly about the weather or the aircraft. It’s about managing the human factors that push you toward “go.”