Situational awareness is the foundational Air Boss competency. Youmaintain a continuous mental model of every aircraft in and around theASDA — airborne and on the ground — while simultaneously monitoringweather, crowd line integrity, emergency access, and all activecommunications. That’s the baseline. When you lose that picture, theshow stops until you have it back. Loss of situational awareness is itself areason to call a hold.

Radio communication is where situational awareness becomes action.

Every transmission must be clear, assertive, and unambiguous. Standardcallouts: “Knock It Off,” “Clear to perform,” “Hold your act,” “Show’s over.”Establish radio contact with every performer before they enter the FDA —not after. And maintain frequency discipline: no non-essential traffic onthe Air Boss frequency. That net is a safety tool, not a general-purposeradio channel.

Decision-making under pressure is the third leg.

Briefed procedures and checklists, not improvisation. The time to decidewhat you’ll do when an aircraft enters the ASDA without clearance isbefore the show, not when it’s happening. Saying no is a core Air Bosscompetency — exercise it without hesitation when the situation calls for it.And your demeanor under pressure drives the emotional state of everyonearound you. Calm, deliberate, decisive: that’s the model.

Documentation closes the loop.

Record what you observed, what decision you made, and what happened.Every significant event gets documented. That record supports post-showdebrief with the IIC, satisfies FAA Order 8900.1 reporting requirements,and protects you if the event is later reviewed.