How to Be a Thinking Pilot, With Rick Durden

By John Zimmerman
Jun 30, 2026
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 133

Pilots should aspire to a higher standard than just passing the checkride, according to author and instructor Rick Durden. He explains how to be one of these “thinking pilots,” pursuing excellence while still having fun in the air, with tips for new pilots and pro pilots alike. Rick is unafraid to tackle any subject, so he also weighs in on why shock cooling is a myth and why talking about “real pilots” is foolish. In the Ready to Copy segment, Rick shares tips for landing on taxiways, his least favorite FAR, and the best-handling airplane he’s ever flown

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Quotes:

What it means to be a thinking pilot: “it means to be in the moment all the time you're in the airplane. What's happening now? What am I gonna
What it means to be a thinking pilot: “it means to be in the moment all the time you're in the airplane. What's happening now? What am I gonna do next? What comes after that?”
Why pilots are different: “We're set apart partially because of adventure, but partially because we want to do the very best we can.”
Having fun while pursuing excellence: “There are many, many fun things to do that you do more safely and enjoy more when you do them well.”
The myth of shock cooling: “There is no evidence that shock—a rapid cooling of the engine—causes problems.”
Why showing a student pilot marginal VFR conditions can be helpful: “Get them to an appreciation for how bad this can be.”
Instrument instruction for the real world: “we should teach instrument instruction in actual IFR, if at all possible.”
Why the “real pilot” phrase is a myth: “Well, if you fly tailwheel, you are three times as likely to wreck an airplane than if you're flying nosewheel. So yeah, real pilots must be the ones who wreck airplanes.”
Flying freight in the bad old days: “a lot of that time in the 300 and 400 series Cessnas, if I would have canceled for weather, I would have been fired.”
Why Learjets were used for cargo: “On a 23, if you filled it up with fuel and two people, you had no extra weight for freight. We'd still put 500 or 1000 pounds in them, because they had so much power.”
Rick’s best tip for crosswind landings: “Control the drift with the ailerons and don't let it drift.”
Landing on a taxiway: “You can get a taxiway landing. The tower will simply say that it's at your own risk”