There I was...

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There I was…, presented by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, invites you into the cockpit with pilots across the aviation community. We fly with them as they encounter unpredictable scenarios and we learn from the knowledge and skills they utilize to fly safely out of them. This podcast honors the trad…

AOPA Air Safety Institute


    • May 13, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 39m AVG DURATION
    • 84 EPISODES

    4.8 from 242 ratings Listeners of There I was... that love the show mention: cirrus, aviation, pilot, flying, volume, lessons, audio, etc, stories, learned, voice, great job, thanks, excellent, show, work, like, love.


    Ivy Insights

    The There I was... podcast is an exceptional show that caters to both pilots and aviation enthusiasts alike. Each episode presents real-life stories from experienced pilots who have faced challenging situations in the air. The format of one person talking to another creates a personal and engaging atmosphere, allowing listeners to learn valuable lessons from these experiences.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the simplicity and usability of the advice given. The discussions around decision-making processes and problem-solving in various aviation scenarios provide practical insights that can be applied by pilots of all levels. Whether you're a student pilot or an ATP, there is always something to gain from hearing peers who have encountered demanding situations and emerged wiser on the other side. Furthermore, the podcast covers a wide range of topics related to aviation, making it a valuable educational platform for anyone interested in learning more about flying.

    Another commendable aspect of The There I was... podcast is its professional production quality. The audio is clear, and the presenters are well-prepared and knowledgeable. The interviews are conducted at a good pace, allowing for detailed discussions with the guests while keeping things interesting for the listeners. It's evident that a lot of effort goes into creating each episode, which contributes to its overall value.

    On the downside, some listeners have pointed out minor issues with sound quality, particularly regarding 's' sounds in playback. While this may not detract significantly from the overall experience, addressing such technicalities could further improve the podcast's already impressive production quality.

    In conclusion, The There I was... podcast stands out as an exceptional platform for aviation education and storytelling. With its relevant information rooted in real-life experiences, it offers universal concepts that extend beyond just aviation. Whether you're a pilot or someone interested in learning about life's wisdom through compelling narratives, this podcast provides invaluable insights that are both educational and exciting. It is undoubtedly one of AOPA's finest efforts and deserves recognition for its exceptional content and production.



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    Latest episodes from There I was...

    Episode 83: Stuck Controls

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 57:28


    While departing Tampa Executive Airport in his Thorp S-18, Mujahid Abdulrahim finds himself dealing with severely limited motion in his control stick.

    Episode 82: Icing in a Baron

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 35:20


    Scott Wright shares the story of a flight he made as a corporate pilot in a B58 Baron with five passengers, during which he had an encounter with icing.

    Episode 81: Hard Landing

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 38:41


    Erick Mahle tells the story of a night flight in his flying club's Bonanza with his family on board that included a memorable landing and some lessons learned.

    Episode 80: A Clever Workaround

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 27:59


    While flying in his 1966 Cessna 150F over Arizona, Chris Smith and his father must resort to some creative thinking to breathe life into a sputtering engine.

    Episode 79: Lost Comms

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2025 33:29


    As a newly minted private pilot, Sara Gagné takes her mother on a sunset flight around the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Not expecting any adverse issues during her very first flight with a passenger, Sara finds herself unable to establish radio communication. NOTE: We realized we omitted a key detail in this episode. When the guest discusses the remedy of shining a phone flashlight against the radio panel to make the display brighter, she is most likely referring to the panel having a faulty light sensor. Some avionics have an auto-dimming feature that uses a light sensor, which adjusts the brightness of the display to coincide with the ambient light level. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

    Episode 78: "What's That Sound?"

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 52:07


    Peter Danzig hears a disturbing banging sound while flying his Bonanza A36 near Paso Robles, CA, and decides to make a precautionary landing at a small private airport. After landing, he must contend with less than ideal conditions in which to depart again.

    Episode 77: Cow Pasture Landing

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 51:53


    While flying in his Piper Saratoga over the Mark Twain National Forest en route to Northeast Arkansas, Brent Reddick notices a subtle but disturbing drop in RPM, followed by a complete engine failure.

    Episode 76: Eerie Encounter

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 30:33


    GA pilot Claudia Gibson recalls a flight on a late October night in Indiana, during her student pilot days. While on an extensive night training flight with multiple stops, Claudia and her instructor have an eerie encounter in the form of an unwanted guest on the runway.

    Episode 75: Landing Gear Failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 47:21


    While shooting an IFR practice approach in his Twin Comanche, retired Air Canada pilot Marc Arsenault loses electrical power to his landing gear system. After realizing that a manual gear extension will not work, Marc must resort to creative thinking – and the help of a Swiss Army knife – to get the gear down.

    Episode 74: Losing Altitude

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 42:04


    On the final leg of a cross-country flight from Mississippi to California, flight test engineer Joey Brown finds himself unable to maintain altitude in his 1967 Cessna 150G.

    Episode 73: Icing in an RV

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 43:19


    Climbing through 6,000 feet after departing Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, pilot and aircraft builder Steve Gross encounters severe icing in his RV-9. With his indicated airspeed falling to 60 knots and his climb rate dropping to zero, Steve must take quick action.

    Episode 72: Laser Strike

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 40:34


    GA pilot Jonathan Fay experiences a laser strike while in the traffic pattern for a night landing. He tells the story of what happened, and how he was able to track down the perpetrator afterward.

    Episode 71: Engine Failure at Night

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 39:50


    On a night flight to Grand Strand Airport in Myrtle Beach, SC, pilot Greg Duckworth experiences an engine failure in his Rutan Long-EZ. With a sea of city lights below, Greg must resort to quick thinking and help from ATC to find a place to land.

    Episode 70: Ferry Flight

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 54:53


    AOPA Western Pacific Regional Manager Jared Yoshiki recounts the story of purchasing his first airplane - a Cherokee 180. While ferrying it from Indiana to his home airport in California, things went awry.

    Episode 69: Unexpected Fuel Consumption

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 34:45


    CFI Bill Tomkovic takes a Cessna 172 flight for the purpose of breaking in a new engine. In an effort to complete the break-in faster, Bill opts to fly longer than he originally intended. Unfortunately, the airplane's fuel consumption is higher than he expects.

    unexpected cessna fuel consumption
    Episode 68: Engine Failure in the Pattern

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2024 31:03


    Student pilot Bradley Riedle was performing touch and goes with his instructor when they experienced an engine failure in their Cherokee 140. Bradley discusses the aftermath of the event, including a hard landing that resulted in aircraft damage and a back injury, as well as some unexpected anxiety during his first flight after the accident.

    Episode 67: Stabilator Malfunction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2024 59:20


    Retired airline captain and designated pilot examiner John Blum tells the story of giving a multiengine checkride in a Piper Seneca, when a loud bang from the tail section of the aircraft derailed the flight.

    Episode 66: Trouble at Mile Hi - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 33:58


    In part 2 of this 2-part episode, we hear the continuation of a story from a backcountry pilot who was involved in an aircraft accident at Mile Hi airstrip in Idaho. The pilot explains the aftermath of the accident in dealing with the NTSB, the FAA, and his insurance company.

    Episode 65: Trouble at Mile Hi - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2023 46:24


    In part 1 of this 2-part episode, we hear from a backcountry pilot who flew his Carbon Cub into Mile Hi airstrip in Idaho, and upon touchdown realized he was not decelerating as planned.

    idaho mile hi
    A Tribute to Richard McSpadden

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 4:39


    A message to our listeners regarding the tragic loss of our host, Richard McSpadden, and an update on the future of the "There I was..." podcast.

    Episode 64: Chris and Michael Easton

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2023 29:20


    Father and son duo Chris and Michael Easton experience a bird strike while flying a Cirrus SR22 from Bedford, MA to New Garden Airport in PA.

    Episode 63: Carl Hancock

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2023 39:16


    Cherokee 140 pilot Carl Hancock recalls a go-around near disaster when trying to climb in high density altitude with full flaps.

    Episode 62: Lee Trotter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2023 43:49


    Utah GA pilot Lee Trotter tells a story from early in his flying experience, when he got mixed up in a thunderstorm.

    Episode 61: Bill Fredericks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2023 36:57


    While flying in instrument conditions at night, Mooney pilot Bill Fredericks wrestles with a faulty autopilot.

    Episode 60: Eric Hinson

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 42:55


    Eric Hinson, CEO of SIMCOM and former Navy pilot, experienced an engine failure immediately after takeoff in his Bonanza A36, while departing Orlando Sanford International Airport.

    ceo navy eric hinson
    Episode 59: Chris Yates and Taylor Hash

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2023 47:00


    When Taylor Hash, a 21-year-old student pilot flying solo, lost her nosewheel on takeoff in a Diamond DA20, an experienced pilot, Chris Yates, witnessed the event and got on the radio to coach Taylor through a safe landing.

    Episode 58: Ben Zwebner

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 27:03


    737 First Officer Ben Zwebner tells the story of a tense flight early in his aviation career, while he was working as a flight instructor out of Montgomery County Airpark in Maryland. While flying a photographer over Washington, D.C. in the Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ), Ben experienced an electrical fire in the cockpit of his Cessna 182.

    Episode 57: Kerry McCauley - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2023 20:45


    This episode features part two of our interview with ferry pilot Kerry McCauley. In this story, Kerry flies across Africa near the equator at night, facing thunderstorms, no navaids, and dead-reckoning his way across political boundaries.

    Episode 56: John Berman

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2023 38:36


    On a cold January evening, pilot John Berman was flying his Velocity XL aircraft from Liberal, KS to Santa Fe, NM when he encountered severe icing.

    Episode 55: Bruce Landsberg

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2023 45:22


    NTSB Vice Chairman (and former senior leader of the AOPA Air Safety Institute) Bruce Landsberg comments on the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crash findings by Ethiopian authorities who downplayed training and other human factors.

    Episode 54: Kerry McCauley

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2022 27:46


    Ferry pilot Kerry McCauley recounts a night flight in a Cessna 210 over the Sahara Desert, en route from Morocco to Ivory Coast, when he lost his alternator.

    Episode 53: Ken Urban

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 25:39


    After a November afternoon flight with his father in the Boston area, GA pilot Ken Urban has an unwelcome encounter with a deer on short final.

    Episode 52: Derick Jones

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2022 38:42


    New Hampshire-based pilot Derick Jones was flying his Cessna 172 to Lawrence Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, in IMC conditions, when he experienced a complete electrical failure.

    Episode 51: Devin Miller

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 59:22


    GA pilot Devin Miller, first featured on the podcast in 2019, joins us again to talk about a more recent incident – an engine failure while flying a PA-34 Seneca III.

    Episode 50: Cody Goodan

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2022 38:16


    Regional airline pilot Cody Goodan tells the story of an incident he experienced shortly after earning his private pilot's license as a senior in high school. During a series of touch-and-go's in a Cessna 172 carrying 3 friends, the combination of weight and density altitude resulted in disaster.

    Episode 49: Michael Koury

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2022 47:36


    Michael Koury tells the story of flying his Cherokee 160, VFR from Sun Valley Airport in Arizona to St. George Regional Airport in Utah. With only 15 miles remaining in his trip, Michael suddenly found himself in blizzard conditions and zero visibility.

    Episode 48: Paul Loewenstein and Larry Suter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2022 33:27


    On a November afternoon, pilots Paul Loewenstein and Larry Suter, both members of the Northern California Soaring Association at Byron Airport, took off just a short time apart from each other in separate gliders. While both heading toward nearby Mt. Diablo, the two gliders experienced a mid-air collision.

    Episode 47: Trevor Peterson

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2022 38:13


    During a training flight from Camarillo to John Wayne Airport in southern California, CFI Trevor Peterson and his student found themselves dealing with a rough running engine and loss of oil pressure in their 172.

    Episode 46: Andrew Edgerton

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 35:02


    As part of the AOPA Air Safety Institute's 2022 campaign to eliminate VFR into IMC accidents, this episode features a discussion with helicopter pilot Andrew Edgerton, who inadvertently found himself in instrument conditions while flying an R44 Raven II from Quebec City to Baie-Comeau in Canada.

    Episode 45: Drew Ryan and Potomac TRACON

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2022 58:10


    GA pilot Drew Ryan, along with brothers Eric and David Lomascolo (both air traffic controllers from Potomac TRACON), join us to recount the story of Drew's flight in a snowstorm while flying from Albany, NY, to Manassas, VA, and the brothers' help to bring him to safety.

    Episode 44: Brian Lenzmeier

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022 37:59


    Having purchased a Cirrus SR22 just a couple of days prior, pilot Brian Lenzmeier departed on a flight from Addison to Waco, TX with an instructor pilot on board. What followed was an engine and avionics failure that resulted in a CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System) pull over the busy Dallas area.

    Episode 43: Russ Jeter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2022 30:04


    Living with the consequences of an aircraft accident is hard. Living with the loss of a son is excruciating. In this episode we take a sobering look at one pilot's personal tragedy, the devastation it wrought, and the lessons all of us can take from it. Warning: This episode involves a fatality. Listener discretion is advised. You can find a video version of this story on the Air Safety Institute's YouTube channel.

    Episode 42: Genesah Duffy and Lynn McNorton

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 52:44


    In this episode, we talk to pilots Lynn McNorton and Genesah Duffy, who had a chance encounter in Tampa Bay just south of Peter O. Knight Airport. After experiencing engine trouble in his Mooney M20M, McNorton was forced to ditch the airplane in the bay just short of Runway 4. Duffy was nearby in an Icon A5 and was able to land in the water to render assistance.

    tampa bay runway duffy icon a5 peter o knight
    Episode 41: Dario Costa

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 39:38


    In this special edition of “There I was…”, host Richard McSpadden and AOPA's Cayla McLeod interview Red Bull Air Race competitor Dario Costa, who debriefs his 44-second flight inside two Turkish highway tunnels, and the painstaking planning and preparation that got him safely through.

    Episode 40: Henry Coffeen

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2021 28:28


    On a November afternoon a few days before Thanksgiving, GA pilot Henry Coffeen was practicing aerobatic maneuvers when he experienced a fire in the cockpit of his Edge 540.

    Episode 39: David Bradley

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2021 41:19


    David Bradley joins us to talk about ferrying a flight of UH-1 “Huey” helicopters from Jefferson City, Missouri down to Ellington Air Force Base during Operation Desert Storm.

    Episode 38: Jon Humberd

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2021 29:34


    While flying his experimental Zenith 701 out of his grass airstrip in Tennessee, pilot Jon Humberd has a close call with a quickly approaching storm. To see Jon's YouTube video of the incident, click here.

    Episode 37: Brian Lloyd

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 60:01


    In the summer of 2017, aviator Brian Lloyd began a solo round-the-world flight in his Mooney to commemorate Amelia Earhart's famous equatorial route 80 years prior. While on a flight leg from New Zealand to American Samoa, Brian experienced an engine failure over the Pacific Ocean.

    Episode 36: Thomas Marrow

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2021 29:21


    While flying out of a backcountry airstrip near Johannesburg in South Africa, pilot and YouTube personality Thomas Marrow experienced a prop strike in his Safari Kitplane.

    Episode 35: John Lancaster

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2021 42:00


    Former Washington Post reporter John Lancaster shares the story of flying across the U.S. in his Flight Design CTLSi light-sport aircraft, for a book he is writing about the 1919 Transcontinental Air Race. While tracing the route flown by pilots in the Air Race 100 years ago, John faced challenges with weather, congested airspace, mountainous terrain, and more. Look for the release of John's book in the next year or two! Note: This interview was recorded in August 2019.

    lancaster former washington post
    Episode 34: Craig Beles and Truman O'Brien

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2021 49:54


    On an IFR flight from Bend, Oregon to Vashon Island, WA, Craig Beles and his friend and CFI Truman O’Brien experienced an engine failure in their PA-28 Cherokee 140. Over vast wilderness with no ideal landing options, the pair are forced to put the aircraft down in the treetops near Mt. St. Helens.

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