Thinking About Thinking, with Dr. Kenneth Stahl

By John Zimmerman
Nov 4, 2025
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Pilot's Discretion Podcast, episode 116

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.

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Quotes:

Applying lessons learned as a doctor: “there's no difference in the decision-making process, whether it's in the operating room or the cockpit. It's the same brain.”
The value of slowing down: “simply taking a moment to take a deep breath, not only does it give you a moment to attain clarity, it actually blows some of those stress hormones out of your brain.”
Making quick decisions: “there's nothing wrong with emergency emotional decisions, as long as you do have the ability to kind of blend the knowledge you have with the reflexes.”
Taking a dopamine holiday: “people I believe are almost living in an artificial reality that's been generated by video games and endless Netflix… all of which is good in moderation, but it doesn't contribute to the maturation of our thinking process”
Why sleep is important: “if you really don't give your brain a chance to relax and to get into a mode where you have the ability to codify all the knowledge and training that you've spent the day working on, it just doesn't get stored.”
Managing aging as a pilot: “you have to be a self-guardian and that takes insight to yourself and honesty with yourself.”
The power of a debrief: “You should use debriefs to generate light, not heat. And by that I mean: you should shine a bright light on what went right, what went wrong, what you could have done differently, what you did well, and you want to repeat. But it should never be a blame game.”
Are doctors good pilots? “a lot of doctors have more money than brains. Frankly, they can afford big powerful airplanes.”
Living a healthy lifestyle: “I'm also kind of a realist and a believer in moderation. No matter what you put in your body, in excess it can hurt you.”
Why hiding medical issues from your AME is bad: “if you ever put your health behind your occupation, you're going to do yourself harm.”
How to use the autopilot: “fly the airplane at the highest degree of automation you can, but you can never turn over your decision-making.”