What Is Different Today?
Using a simple question to identify hidden risk before it becomes a problem.
A common practice in aviation risk management is to ask: What is the most hazardous aspect of this flight?
That is a good question. It focuses attention and helps crews prepare for known risks.
But for crews operating in the same environment day after day, many hazards remain the same. For example:
- Lots of bird activity.
- Heavy traffic at a non-towered field.
- Weather patterns typical for the area.
Over time, those risks become familiar—and crews brief the normal hazards.
A complementary question that can, at times, be more powerful is:
What is different today?
This question shifts the crew’s focus from the known and expected to the subtle changes that often create risk.
Experience
In early March of 2010, a Coast Guard helicopter crew returning to the East Coast after supporting security operations during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, crashed in the mountains of Utah. After weeks of operating at sea level, altitude and aircraft performance were contributing factors.
Years later, while conducting a similar aircraft transfer, and informed by the lessons learned from that mishap, we asked what is different today?
As we approached mountainous terrain, we identified differences in environmental conditions and aircraft performance compared to previous legs of the trip. That awareness changed how we managed the flight and helped us avoid placing ourselves in a similar situation.
The question does not need to be tied to a dramatic scenario to be effective.
Often, the differences are subtle:
- Convective activity in an area that rarely sees it.
- The first cold day of fall, when the icing layer drops lower than expected.
- An unusually experienced crew, where assumptions about capability reduce active backup.
Identifying these changes in otherwise standard conditions often improves risk mitigation.
Why It Works
The question “what is different today?” works because it forces crews to actively scan for variation instead of relying on routine.
In aviation environments, risk rarely comes from what is known and expected.
It comes from what has changed—and goes unnoticed.
By identifying those differences early, crews can adjust their plan, increase margins, and improve coordination.
The Real Value
This is not a replacement for traditional risk assessment.
It is an addition.
Asking “what is different today?” ensures that:
- Subtle changes are identified before they compound.
- Assumptions are challenged.
- The crew is aligned on emerging risks.
Actionable Items
- Add the question “what is different today?” to every preflight brief.
- Look beyond standard hazards and identify changes in conditions, environment, or crew.
- Be especially alert during transitions (seasonal weather, terrain changes, mission type).
- Guard against complacency in familiar operating areas.
- Use this question to prompt discussion and shared awareness across the crew.
What’s different today example: