WHAT IS SITUATIONAL AWARENESS?

    Situational awareness is a term I borrow that is used extensively in aviation.  In order to conduct a safe and legal flight, a pilot must maintain situational awareness at all times.  This would include knowledge of prior maintenance and current mechanical condition of the aircraft; fuel requirements for the planned trip and how much fuel is onboard and is being burned during flight; current and forecast weather conditions along the route and the aircrafts equipment limitations for possible weather; flight restrictions for the route, destination airport and all alternative airports along the route; doing a full preflight inspection; calculating weight and balance to prevent overloading (includes weight and balance after fuel weight is burned off during flight); acknowledging personal skill and physical restrictions such as lingering illness or weather conditions that exceeds pilots experience and knowledge of all applicable Federal Aviation Rules. And, in flight it includes knowing your position in relation to the ground (altitude and location), and condition of the aircraft in relation to it's operational limits (speed, physical attitude and stress limits of structural components like wings and flight controls).  In short, all things pertinent to the operation of the aircraft before and during the flight.

    To effectively counter violence you have to maintain a situational awareness of all things pertinent to your safety.  Situational awareness encompasses -  perceiving critical factors, understanding those factors, and finally, understanding what those factors will cause to happen in the near future.  From this you will be better prepared to make an effective response.  This is the core of S.A.R.™, Situational Awareness and Response.