Section 6.4 reframes stop-the-show entirely. It is not a last resort — it is aprimary safety competency. Competent Air Bosses stop early, whenconditions first become uncertain. Waiting for certainty often meanswaiting until you’ve already lost control of the situation.

That’s the hardest thing to internalize. Performers are ready, the crowd iswatching, the schedule is running — and you’re the one calling it offbecause something feels off but isn’t yet obvious.

That discomfort is exactly why ABRP and FAA both explicitly support theAir Boss’s authority to stop the show. No performer, no event director, nosponsor has authority over that decision. Section 6.4 is clear: you act onyour read, not on consensus.

What happens after you stop? Because that’s where it can get politicallycomplicated.

You document it immediately — what you observed, what the trigger was,what decision you made, and what happened after. Then you debrief:performers and event director, together. What was observed, what drovethe decision, what can be improved. The debrief is not an apology — it’s aprofessional review.

And the triggers you brief in advance — that list matters operationally, notjust as a checklist exercise.

Pre-briefed triggers remove the decision point when it matters most.Weather below Certificate of Waiver minimums, unauthorized aircraft inthe Air Show Demonstration Area, loss of situational awareness by the AirBoss, a ground medical emergency blocking crowd line access, aperformer not answering radio calls. If any one of those develops, you’vealready decided what you’ll do. The brief made that decision, not themoment.

The last trigger on the list is the one with the most latitude — anydeveloping situation the Air Boss cannot safely manage from position.That covers a lot.

It covers everything else. If you’re losing the picture and you can’t recoverit from where you are, you stop. That’s the job.