"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast
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 tradition and heritage in aviation to leverage “hangar flying” as an avenue to pass along knowledge and experience.
Episodes
Episode 95: Lake Amphibian
During a trip to Dry Tortugas National Park with his wife and two friends, Brandon Reissiger faces a challenging and nerve-wracking water takeoff in his Lake Amphibian.
Episode 94: Engine-Out at Night
Kansas City-based flight instructor Lennon Carlson recounts a night engine-out scare in a borrowed Cessna Cardinal RG while flying home after a Fourth of July weekend.
Episode 93: Windscreen Blowout
Arkansas pilot Greg Robbins is flying to lunch with his wife when the front windscreen and side doors of his Aeroprakt A22LS suddenly blow out.
To see the video of the incident, click here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu23j1DsPOU
Episode 92: Icing in a Sling
Newly minted instrument pilot Chris Yalanis launches on a long IFR trip in his Sling TSi. ATC issues a clearance that doesn’t match his plan, and a routine climb turns tense when he begins to pick up ice.
Episode 91: Unexpected Spin
Brad Cohen test flies his homebuilt Zenith Zodiac 601 XL. About 20 hours into testing, while working on departure and accelerated stalls, Brad enters an unexpected spin.
Episode 90: Exhaust Valve
Flight test engineer Joey Brown recounts a New Year’s Eve flight in his Cessna 150 with his wife, when their trip is interrupted by violent engine vibration and power loss.
Episode 89: Gear-Up Landing
Tony Williams and Ben Taylor prepare to ferry a Cessna 401 that’s been resurrected after almost 25 years in storage. Despite meticulous planning, high-speed taxi tests, and pattern work, a loud bang on downwind reveals a left-gear failure. With support from ATC, the pilots plan a deliberate gear-up landing on a foamed runway.
Episode 88: Bouncing on Empty
During a mountain flying trip in a Cessna 172, Doug Tilghman and two companions become dangerously close to fuel exhaustion.
Episode 87: Safety Pilot
Bob Thomason recounts a tense IMC approach as safety pilot for a friend facing a cancer diagnosis. When his friend panics and fights the autopilot, Bob must intervene to stabilize the aircraft.
Episode 86: Engine Failure Over New Mexico
Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Justin Lillie shares the story of an engine failure in his Mooney during an IFR cross-country flight with his family.
Episode 85: Three Greens
Mark Sellers shares the story of a nighttime overwater flight in his Bellanca Viking where a landing gear issue arose during approach.
Episode 84: Missing Prop
Mel Rushton recounts a harrowing nighttime IFR flight when the propeller of his Piper Comanche separated mid-flight over Florida.
Episode 83: Stuck Controls
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
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
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
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
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 p
Episode 78: "What's That Sound?"
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Episode 68: Engine Failure in the Pattern
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
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
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
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.
A Tribute to Richard McSpadden
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
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
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
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
While flying in instrument conditions at night, Mooney pilot Bill Fredericks wrestles with a faulty autopilot.
Episode 60: Eric Hinson
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.
Episode 59: Chris Yates and Taylor Hash
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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'
Episode 42: Genesah Duffy and Lynn McNorton
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.
Episode 41: Dario Costa
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Episode 34: Craig Beles and Truman O'Brien
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.
Episode 33: John "Pappy" Mazza
Warbird pilot and former aircraft racer John “Pappy” Mazza shares an engine failure experience while flying a Grumman FM-2 Wildcat.
Episode 32: Doug Rozendaal
Longtime GA pilot, warbird trainer and DPE Doug Rozendaal tells us a story about piloting a Beech 18 during his years of flying freight, when he experienced an electrical failure at night in low IMC.
Episode 31: Kelly Keller
In this episode, we talk to GA pilot Kelly Keller, who was flying back from a fishing resort in Arkansas with her husband while 7 months pregnant when she experienced an engine failure in a Cessna 172.
Episode 30: Terry Pretzloff
GA pilot and Cirrus Training Center Instructor Terry Pretzloff tells us about a flight from Chicago Midway to Rochester, Minnesota in a Cirrus SR22. Despite thorough preflight planning, Terry encountered hazardous icing conditions worse than forecast, and he shares with us how he took action to get on the ground safely.
Episode 29: Dennis Martin
Helicopter pilot Dennis Martin joins us to talk about an incident he had after departing the AOPA Fly-In at Carbondale, IL in 2018. While flying his Enstrom 480B from Carbondale to Chicago Executive Airport, Dennis experienced deteriorating weather conditions and found himself in half-mile visibility.
Episode 28: Doug Stewart
Master Certified Flight Instructor, DPE and general aviation icon Doug Stewart joins us to talk about an incident he had in a 1974 Cessna Cardinal at a small New Hampshire airport. While departing the 1,900 foot strip, Doug experienced a loss of power following takeoff, with trees at the end of the runway quickly approaching.
Episode 27: Todd Clark
In this episode we talk to Todd Clark, a 700-hour pilot based in beautiful Kalispell, MT. Todd experienced a gear-up landing in his Mooney M20J, and he joins us to talk about the day’s events that led up to the incident.
Episode 26: Mirek Fatyga
Join us as we talk to Mirek Fatyga, a commercial-rated pilot based in Phoenix, AZ. Mirek tells the story of piloting a Tecnam light sport aircraft at night, when he flew through a tree while on approach to land at an airport near Richmond, VA.
Episode 25: Loren Kopseng
In this episode, we chat with longtime GA pilot Loren Kopseng. Loren experienced an alarming bird strike at night while flying his Aviat Husky out of North Dakota, and he joins us to tell the story.
To see photos from Loren's incident, click here.
Episode 24: Jon Gandy
If you've called AOPA’s Pilot Information Center, you’ll recognize this episode's guest: pilot and AOPA employee Jon Gandy. As an Aviation Technical Specialist from the PIC, Jon brings a wealth of knowledge, and shares a story in which he experienced a partial engine failure in a PA-31 Piper Navajo, which created a distraction and caused an inadvertent gear-up landing.
Episode 23: Robert Clark
VFR into IMC continues to be a leading cause of fatal accidents in general aviation. In this episode, we talk to a pilot who was fortunate enough to escape from this highly dangerous scenario. Robert Clark recounts the story of flying his Dyke Delta aircraft through unexpected instrument conditions - at night, during an electrical failure.
Episode 22: Mark Murphy
Over the past 33 years of flying - including aerobatics in the P-51 Mustang, T-6 Texan, Japanese Zero, and F4U Corsair - pilot Mark Murphy has accumulated his share of stories. He joins us to talk about one such story - an unexpected flat spin in a Christen Eagle.
Episode 21: Thomas Middleditch
Join us for a special episode as we chat with actor, comedian, screenwriter and general aviation pilot Thomas Middleditch about his flying adventures, including a time where a trip to Monument Valley (UT25) didn’t go as planned.
To see the video version of this podcast, click here.
Episode 20: Gabrielle Palmas
Not many pilots have survived a midair collision. Gabrielle Palmas experienced one in 2012, while working on her instrument rating. Now, years later, as second-in-command on a Lear 60, she joins us to tell her story.
Episode 19: Jeff King
GA pilot Jeff King shares the story of a 2009 incident in which he experienced an engine failure in his Cherokee Six, and made a forced landing in a nearby Walmart parking lot.
To see video and photos from Jeff's incident, click here.
Episode 18: Chuck Cook
In this episode, we hear an incredible survival story from Chuck Cook, T-28 warbird pilot. In the summer of 2018, shortly after a warning light in the cockpit caused him to separate from a formation flight and head back to his home airport, Chuck experienced thick billowing smoke and a fire in the cockpit of his T-28. Chuck crash-landed the airplane near the runway threshold and managed to escape
Episode 17: Greg Soter
Join us as we talk to Greg Soter, a long-time GA pilot based in Utah. In 2013, Greg was flying a Cessna 172 for a company testing radar gear, when the equipment caught fire in the backseat and forced Greg to make an emergency landing off-airport.
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