Making good decisions is a critical skill for safe flying, but it’s something most pilots rarely think about. Not Ken Stahl. He explains how to think smarter, especially under pressure, with valuable insights from his experience in cardiac surgery and the cockpit. Dr. Stahl also talks about the value of a “dopamine holiday,” how to monitor your flying performance as you age, and crew resource management. In the Ready to Copy segment, he talks about whether doctors are good pilots, how to live a healthier life, and his favorite question from patients.

SHOW LINKS:

* Dr. Stahl’s articles: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/articles-by-author/kenneth-stahl

* Dopamine holiday: https://psychcentral.com/blog/dopamine-fasting-probably-doesnt-work-try-this-instead

* Pilot’s Tip of the Week: https://pilotworkshop.com/tip-of-the-week/

David Gagliardi has spent many summers flying big airplanes at low altitude, dropping fire retardant on wildfires all over North America. In this episode, he takes us behind the scenes, explaining how pilots maintain situational awareness, what it’s like managing 60-year old airliners, and what the future of the industry looks like. David is also a longtime flight instructor and pilot examiner, so he shares invaluable tips for anyone preparing for a checkride, including how to avoid “failing yourself.” In the Ready to Copy segment, you’ll hear about flying warbirds, the best airport in British Columbia, and decision-making lessons learned in the navy.

SHOW LINKS:

* Video of Electra working a fire: https://youtu.be/idwUaJadn_M

* David’s article on engine failures: https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/publications/aviation-safety-letter/issue-1-2025/are-instructors-preparing-their-students-actual-engine-failures-just-preparing-them-pass-flight-test

* PilotWorkshops Mastery: https://pilotworkshop.com/

Designing a clean sheet airplane and introducing it to the world by flying to Oshkosh is a bold plan, but that’s exactly what Steve Wood did this year. He tells us all about the Spirit Engineering SE-1, including why staying quiet was important for the company, why good looks matter in an airplane, and why they designed their own engine. Steve also worked at Cessna many years ago, so he talks about the glory days of GA, including the launch of the Cessna Caravan. In the Ready to Copy segment, Steve discusses common design mistakes, the Skypup ultralight, and the Cessna T303.

SHOW LINKS:

* Spirit Engineering: https://spiriteng.com/se-1-aircraft/

* SE-1 video: https://youtu.be/9BMg5ECULm0

* PilotWorkshops Mastery: https://pilotworkshop.com/