18 years of filling out RAs in military / commercial flying and I still think for the most part, it’s bureaucratic fluff.
Never have I used one that is a true go / no go decision maker. I could be flying with thunderstorms in the area, at 3AM with no sleep, landing on a road intersection and I’m still going to be approved to fly. They’re intentionally designed that way. Never once have I had a briefer deny “mission” approval because of fatigue. Unless you’re high on THC, flying on a suspension in the middle of a hurricane, you’re gonna be a “go.” Also, outside of combat, every single RA that I’ve done show me as “low risk.” Low risk for a job (HEMS) that used to be considered the most dangerous in the US and in the case of the military, has had a rash of accidents in recent years. Low risk my a$$.
Second problem that I have is that’s related to the first, is that none of the ones that I’ve used accurately reflect the level of risk. You can’t put an arbitrary number with fatigue any more than you can with weather. Both are fluid and subjective depending on the individual. One pilot flying at 3AM with no sleep might not feel like a “4” but another might flat out bypass any number and go straight to accident waiting to happen. One pilot might handle 1000 & 3 weather just fine, while another could be completely terrified of it. Either way, the only thing keeping the pilot from going is their own self assessment.
Now, we could say the RA is a tool to allow the pilot to be aware of things they might not know. I’d say that anyone who uses a proper preflight planning format that’s IAW with the FARs, will be aware of the majority of what’s covered on an RA. The rest won’t matter anyway because...it’s still gonna tell you that you’re a “go.”
As private pilots, you won’t even have someone senior, evaluating, mitigating and approving your RA either. So it’s essentially up to you anyway.
So, if you treat an RA for what it is, a general assessment of risk based on a certain group’s interpretation of risk then fine, go with it. But in my opinion, if you do proper preflight planning and include IMSAFE with it, that’s really all that’s necessary. Even then, it has to be an honest go / no go assessment without outside influence on those safety factors (weather, proficiency, IMSAFE). Yeah, easier said than done.