It’s OK to Stay Your biggest contribution to safe operations: your personal safety culture. By Gina Kvitkovich This article appears in the March 2026 edition of POWER UP magazine, which VAI members receive in the mail. Members can access the entire issue online, as well. Not a member? Join the world’s leading vertical aviation organization today and enjoy exclusive access to POWER UP magazine as well as a host of other benefits designed specifically for our members. “It’s OK to stay.” That message may seem strange, especially when aimed at pilots, people defined by their ability to leave Earth behind. But encouraging pilots to make the smart choice to stay on the ground when conditions aren’t right is the central message of the latest safety campaign from VAI and the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST). Their previous safety campaigns, including “Land & LIVE” and “56 Seconds to Live,” also addressed aeronautical decision-making, but both messages were primarily aimed at pilots who had already flown into conditions that required additional action to maintain operational safety. “We thought it important to focus on the safety actions the pilot should take before anyone gets into the aircraft. Making good decisions then will set you up for success—and sometimes that is defined by deciding not to take off,” says Dave Dziura, owner of Safe Rotors and cochair of the VAI Safety Industry Advisory Council. “It’s OK to Stay” is focused on helping pilots overcome an outdated mindset in aviation—that a successful flight requires taking off. This attitude contributes to our industry accident rate because the very act of taking off reduces the options available for pilots. Any issue identified with the flight—weather, mechanical, physical, etc.—isn’t going to be easier to solve while actively flying an aircraft. And the lure of continuation bias—the idea that this flight must go on to avoid negative consequences—is powerful. Just ask any accident investigator. When we talk about unfortunate outcomes from a delayed or canceled flight, here’s one thing to remember: In the 100-plus years of powered human flight, no one has surveyed a crumpled aircraft and human remains and said, “The real shame here is that they never made that meeting.” Or the family wedding. Or the bucket-list experience. So let’s keep some perspective about what the worst possible outcome could be and focus our efforts on preventing that. By telling pilots, “It’s OK to Stay,” the USHST and VAI are redefining the concept of what makes a flight successful: It’s one that comes to a safe conclusion—even if that means no one left the ground. Doing the Ground Work You may agree that flight success is tied to flight safety. But how does that idea play out in the real world? What can you do to ensure that “It’s OK to Stay” is more than a slogan? One answer lies in your personal safety culture. Find the Facts Before taking off, do you consistently practice these preflight behaviors that support flight safety? Conduct a comprehensive review of current weather conditions and forecasts at your departure point, destination, and en route Review the route, terrain and obstructions, NOTAMS, and any other relevant information about your planned flight Use the PAVE checklist, IMSAFE checklist, and/or similar tools to scan for flight hazards related to the pilot(s), aircraft, environment, and external pressures Use a flight risk assessment tool (FRAT) to assess and mitigate the cumulative impact of identified hazards on the flight’s overall chance of success Establish and follow personal or company minimums for safe flight Establish and follow en-route triggers, such as minimum acceptable altitude or airspeed, that dictate an action when reached during flight Perform a thorough preflight of the aircraft, paying particular attention to any recently maintained or repaired items or systems to ensure their airworthiness. If your answer is yes, then keep on doing those things. Making good decisions on the ground is essential to safe operations in the air. Even really, really good pilots—like you!—should avoid unnecessary risk that threatens their ability to fly safely. Note: The list above covers the essentials and isn’t meant to be comprehensive. If your or your company’s standard preparation for flights includes additional steps, then continue your professional approach to flight safety! If your answer is no, then help is all around you: VAI (verticalavi.org/safety), the FAA Safety Team (FAAsafety.gov), and the USHST (ushst.org/safety-resources) have great materials to help you fly more safely, many created by helicopter pilots who have faced the same challenges as you The USHST and FAA now offer a confidential phone and email helpline (202-267-3333/accidents@faa.gov) for those who need to talk about safety issues If you’re struggling or have turbulence in your personal life, the USHST’s Peer Pilot Program stands ready to offer confidential support at ushst.org/mental-health If you’re at VERTICON, take an Elevations course or Foundations session, or pay a visit to the VAI Safety Zone Ask your pilot examiner or another pilot you respect for recommendations. Your goal before the flight is to gather the facts that back up your go/no-go decision. Being a pilot means that lives, including yours, depend on your ability to objectively and methodically evaluate the risks for each flight, mitigate those risks when possible, and decide whether the cumulative risk meets the threshold of your overriding goal: bringing every flight to a safe conclusion. Unless you’re part of that rare flight crew tasked to defend your country from an existential threat, the importance or urgency of the flight should not figure into this assessment. Some pilots can become complacent about these preflight tasks. It’s easy to just “check the box” on your FRAT and move on, especially when you’ve already filled one out 10 times this month alone. If your preflight preparation is focused more on filing paperwork than having an honest conversation about issues and risk, then you’re wasting your time. If that’s happening to you or around you, then stop. Figure out how to get back to the real task: talking about the greatest risk posed by the upcoming flight and what you can do to mitigate it. Accept Your Role Another part of making “It’s OK to Stay” more than just a slogan is accepting the responsibility that the civil aviation authorities around the world, including the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), have given you: FAA: “The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.” EASA: “The pilot is the only one who has the authority to make decisions concerning the flight and the aircraft.” Both statements are unambiguous. You are the final authority as to the operation of that aircraft—not your boss, not your chief pilot, not your customer. There are no exceptions: The pilot is responsible, full stop. The go/no-go decision is yours—don’t give it away to someone who doesn’t know the aircraft, the route, the terrain, or the weather like you do. You have the authority to shrug off comments about the importance of the flight or the inconvenience of delays to concentrate only on factors that affect flight safety. The meeting’s importance or the patient’s condition isn’t going to make the iffy weather better or improve your sleep deficit, so why would you let them affect your go/no-go decision? Communicating the No-Go Decision Some days, you’re able to tell your customers, “We’re not flying,” and they will say, “That’s fine. We can go when conditions improve.” But in a world with schedules, deadlines, and emergencies, they may be upset by your decision. A big part of “It’s OK to Stay” is practicing the soft skills of communicating with others about your decision so they understand and concur. Set Expectations Even if the flight doesn’t seem problematic, it’s always a good idea to set expectations at the start. Your task is to build trust with your passengers, and canceling the flight when they’re not prepared for that news can be shocking. Practice these conversations ahead of time so you feel comfortable letting people down and not giving them what they want—a flight. Be aware that their understanding of aviation may be limited or misguided, and you may need to explain, for example, why a nighttime flight or overcast skies pose a hazard. You don’t need to give them a half-hour lecture on aerodynamics or spatial disorientation: just use plain, factual language that names the hazard and its effect on the flight: “The weather’s OK right now, but if the wind picks up, then we’ll have to reassess.” Or, “If we can take off by 6 pm, then we’ll have time to reach our destination while it’s still light. If our departure is delayed past that time, then we’ll have to postpone until tomorrow.” Help the Customer Cope Your next skill to practice is to help customers accommodate the change in plans and, if possible, still meet the goal(s) for their flight. Think of the questions you would have in that situation and try to have solutions for: Places to stay or eat while they wait for conditions to change Local transportation if they don’t have a car available Air or ground transportation alternatives (if conditions permit) to their destination Facilities that provide privacy and Wi-Fi for remote meetings. For Really Insistent Customers Normally, we take pains to make our customers and passengers comfortable. We stress that our aircraft are well equipped and our pilots well trained; company policies and procedures will ensure flight safety. But if you really need to break through to someone who consistently and unapologetically challenges your no-go decision, try saying the unvarnished truth: “When people go flying in these conditions, it sometimes makes the evening news—they love to cover aviation accidents. My real job isn’t transporting you to your destination; it’s making sure you get to your destination safely. Some days I can do that by flying you there. And some days—like today—the safest thing to do is to stay on the ground. But let’s talk about our other options.” You may even hear a disappointed customer or client threaten your job. There may be times when you have to get out your cardboard box—the box safety advocate and former head of Helicopter Association International Matt Zuccaro said every pilot should keep ready for when a passenger insists that a flight go on, even after being informed of the unacceptable level of risk. In that situation, Zuccaro advised, the best thing to do is clean out your office, put all your personal belongings in the box, and go home to have dinner with your loved ones. But before you get out your box, try this script with that boss, customer, or client: “I hear you—this flight is very important to you. However, your life is much more important than my job. As your pilot, I have a duty to protect you. I’d be happy and honored to remain your pilot if you allow me to be the professional you hired me to be.” Dealing With Your Toughest Critic Now let’s talk about how to handle your ultimate critic, the person who consistently hands out devastating critiques of your work and professionalism, the person who knows you and your shortcomings all too well: yourself. When we talk about the pressure to accept flights, we often think of that insistent customer who won’t take no for an answer. But how often does that pressure come from within? It may be that you don’t want to disappoint the customer or that you fear retaliation by your employer, and so you don’t even bring up your misgivings about the flight. Other times, you accept a flight to satisfy your ego, to prove that you really are an exceptional pilot (that hazardous attitude is called machismo by safety experts, or you may be exhibiting invulnerability). Or perhaps you’ve taken flights with similar hazards and made it to your destination just fine (that’s called complacency). As pilot in command, it is your responsibility to combat these hazardous attitudes, whether they come from within or from others. Instead, rely on the objective fact-gathering that comes before each flight, with the confidence that your professionalism has enabled you to make a data-based, responsible decision. Communicate that decision effectively so that your boss, colleagues, customers, and passengers can understand it. Offer alternatives that will help to meet the flight’s goals. And remind yourself and others that “It’s OK to Stay.” Gina Kvitkovich is VAI’s senior director of communications. In vertical aviation, true professionalism starts long before liftoff, with a pilot on the ground evaluating conditions and deciding whether the mission can be flown safely. Sometimes, the best decision is not to fly. That’s why VAI is launching It’s OK to Stay, an initiative that challenges the mindset that success is measured only by taking off. VAI President and CEO François Lassale shares more about the new program in this Spotlight on Safety video.
