Episode 88: Bouncing on Empty

Episode 88: Bouncing on Empty

Author: AOPA Air Safety Institute October 14, 2025 Duration: 32:55
During a mountain flying trip in a Cessna 172, Doug Tilghman and two companions become dangerously close to fuel exhaustion.

Imagine pulling up a chair in a virtual hangar, surrounded by pilots swapping their most gripping stories. That’s the feeling at the heart of "There I was..." An Aviation Podcast. Produced by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, each episode is a direct flight into real-world cockpit experiences, where seasoned aviators recount moments when weather, mechanics, or sheer chance threw them a curveball. You’ll hear the subtle tension in their voices as they describe navigating a sudden system failure or an unforecast storm, followed by the clear-headed decisions that led to a safe landing. This isn’t about sensationalism; it’s about the nuanced application of skill and training under pressure. The entire podcast is built on aviation’s rich tradition of “hangar flying”-that invaluable, informal passing of wisdom from one pilot to another. By listening, you gain access to a collective library of hard-won lessons, a resource that deepens your understanding of what it truly means to fly safely. Whether you’re a student pilot, a seasoned captain, or simply fascinated by the realities of flight, these narratives offer a profound and practical education, one compelling story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 94

"There I was..." An Aviation Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Episode 63: Carl Hancock [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 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 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 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 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:57
While flying in instrument conditions at night, Mooney pilot Bill Fredericks wrestles with a faulty autopilot.
Episode 60: Eric Hinson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 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.
Episode 59: Chris Yates and Taylor Hash [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:00
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 landi…
Episode 58: Ben Zwebner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:03
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 Was…
Episode 57: Kerry McCauley - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 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 pol…
Episode 56: John Berman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:36
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 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:22
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 ot…
Episode 54: Kerry McCauley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:46
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.