Pilots Must Embrace the ‘What-If’ Philosophy

Master instructor instilled importance of preparation and trusting your training.

Wednesday, October 07, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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Looking back, I realize that my first flight instructor wasn’t merely teaching procedures. He was teaching a way of thinking. [Image: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

The author's flight instructor, Lyle Hamel, taught a "What-if?" philosophy focused on meticulous emergency preparedness, trusting instruments over senses, and practicing ordinary skills under extraordinary stress, rather than just passing a checkride.
A harrowing flight experience, where the author initially yielded to passenger pressure to fly in dangerous weather, proved the critical value of Lyle's training in navigating multiple near-disasters.
The incident highlighted two crucial lessons: the paramount importance of thorough, emergency-oriented training for survival, and the necessity for the pilot in command to assert their judgment and make independent safety decisions, even against the wishes of influential passengers.

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The phone rang unexpectedly one day. The voice on the other end was 97 years old. “Verlyn, how are you doing?” It was Lyle Hamel.

More than 35 years had passed since he had instructed me, yet he still remembered me. That was the kind of person he was. He cared about people long after they left his airplane. Most flight instructors teach students how to pass a check ride. Hamel taught students how to survive.