Richard McSpadden

Richard is a commercial pilot, CFII, MEI with SES and MES ratings and a 525S (Citation Jet Single Pilot) type rating. He’s flown 6,000 hours in 30 years of flying a variety of civilian and military aircraft. Richard has extensive experience in aviation safety including ground, flight, and special event operations. Richard currently owns a 1993 Super Cub. As Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, Richard leads a team of CFIs, data analysts and content creators to analyze general aviation safety, and advocate for safety issues. The ASI develops and distributes free aviation safety material through a variety of modern communication channels and in-person seminars. ASI material is accessed over 10 million times a year. Richard flew for 20 years with the United States Air Force, closing his Air Force career as the Commander and Flight Leader of the Thunderbirds flight demonstration team where he headed the U.S. Air Force’s flagship organization and led over 100 flight demonstrations flying the #1 aircraft.