While I like to fly (and I have not flown I guess for at least 12 years), I guess that is one reason general aviation never appealed to me enough to make it a dedicated hobby. The weather can change much quicker than predicted.
I heard too many stories from my buddies at work getting about trapped in the canyons/mountains of the west when I was out in the Bay area for 13 years. Those mountains and canyons have taken many a soul, including Steve Fosset.
I did have some fantastic teachers, A retired F-84 driver and a retired F-100 driver, who both taught me how to 'fly by the numbers'. And in my very first flights with them, we went into stall/spin recovery. I guess that is that not that unusual tho.
LOL... Joe Schafer, now there’s a name I have not heard in a long time. You were fortunate to be taught by one of the Old Masters. Does Jeppesen still publish his books and are they in print?
You knew when you were in the presence of one of the elites of aeronautical engineering or aviation maintenance, and / or in the presence of one h&!! of a technical problem if the Chief or Maintenance Officer pulled out a dog eared copy of one of Joe’s books, particularly if it was a weight and balance, stability, or rotary wing aircraft problem.
As for my flight instructor, she definitely knew the limits of her experience because she was totally disoriented.
Regarding the limits of the aircraft; none that I have ever flown, including the trusty A-6, were really meant for ice accumulation or thunderstorm penetration. I have always depended upon my highly refined thunderstorm avoidance skills. It is just that it is easier to accomplish that if you know where you are and you believe (and know how to fly) your artificial horizon.
And if you have weather radar (which we did not), well, that is cheating...and “if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying.”