"There I Was..." An Aviation Podcast

Every pilot has a "There I Was" story -- that moment in the cockpit where training, instinct, and a fair amount of adrenaline converged into something worth telling. AOPA's Air Safety Institute built an entire podcast around collecting these stories, and the result is one of the most genuinely useful safety resources in aviation podcasting. Hosted by David O'Leary (following the late Richard McSpadden), the format is straightforward: each episode features a pilot recounting a specific in-flight event -- an engine failure over mountains, an unexpected weather encounter, a gear malfunction on short final -- followed by a discussion about what went right, what could have gone differently, and what other pilots can learn from it. It's the aviation tradition of hangar flying, formalized and recorded for a wider audience. With 92 episodes released on a monthly schedule since 2017, the show has covered an impressive range of scenarios across different aircraft types and pilot experience levels. You'll hear from student pilots who handled their first emergency alongside airline captains who found themselves in genuinely novel situations. That variety is the show's greatest strength -- no matter where you are in your flying career, there's an episode that speaks directly to your experience level. The 4.8 rating from 289 reviews reflects the show's credibility. Coming from AOPA's safety institute gives it institutional weight, but the storytelling keeps it from feeling like a lecture. Each episode is a reminder that even routine flights can turn sideways, and preparation makes the difference.