Richard McSpadden was appointed executive director of the AOPA Air Safety
Institute in February 2017 and was promoted to senior vice president in July 2020.
He currently leads a team of certified flight instructors and content creators who
develop and distribute aviation safety material –free of charge— in order to advance
general aviation safety industrywide. ASI distributes material through a dedicated
YouTube channel, iTunes podcasts, Facebook, and a dynamic website. ASI material is
accessed 12 million times annually.
A native of Panama City, Florida, McSpadden started flying as a teenager and has logged over 5,000 hours flying a variety of civilian and military aircraft. McSpadden is a commercial pilot, CFII, MEI with SES, MES ratings and a 525S (Citation Jet Single Pilot) type rating. He taught his son to fly, instructed his daughter to solo in their Piper Super Cub, previously owned a 1950 Navion that was in his family for almost 40 years, and currently owns a 1993 Piper Super Cub.
McSpadden holds a degree in Economics from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Public Administration from Troy University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air War College.
Prior to joining AOPA, McSpadden had a successful career in the information technology industry, leading large, geographically dispersed operations providing business-critical IT services. McSpadden also served in the Air Force for 20 years, including the prestigious role of commander and flight leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team where he led over 100 flight demonstrations flying the lead aircraft.
Additionally, McSpadden currently serves as the industry chair for the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee.
