Across the aviation system—whether flying, maintaining, managing traffic, ground handling, or being a passenger—attention is what turns experience into safety. Accidents are rarely prevented by a single decision; they are prevented when subtle cues are noticed early, understood correctly, and acted on before the situation narrows.Through examples spanning cockpits, maintenance bays, control rooms, and ramps, we explore how experienced aviators learn to notice subtle cues before they become problems—and how less-experienced aviators can deliberately train that same attentional skill to improve judgment, coordination, and safety-critical decisionmaking.