We learn from every pilot we fly with, every pilot we talk to. Sometimes we learn a lot. My life changed thanks to a quiet little flyer, an instructor who danced in the perpetual pursuit of piloting perfection, and found the inner art of airmanship.

Hello, I’m Dave English, a 24,000 hour airline pilot, sometime psychology researcher and aviation writer. The instructor was Sam Hamilton. He long ago disappeared, but here I’m compiling an exploration of two summers with the safety warrior who blended leading-edge neuroscience with ancient wisdoms — to become one with the wing.