The Dial A Pilot podcast, hosted by professional pilots for the nervous fliers who want the real story.
From the Flight Deck is a podcast hosted by commercial airline pilots Kyle Koukol and Christian Smith, built for nervous fliers and aviation-curious listeners. Every episode breaks down what pilots actually see, hear, and do, from NTSB incident analyses to plain-English explanations of turbulence, go-arounds, and in-flight sounds. The show has been running since 2023, has released 30+ episodes, and holds a 5.0 rating on Apple Podcasts.
What You’ll Hear
When an aviation incident hits the news, we explain what actually happened, from the DCA midair collision to the Boeing 787 engine fire in Los Angeles. Plain-English analyses grounded in NTSB findings and ATC recordings, not speculation.
What's that sound on takeoff? Why did the pilot abort the landing? What actually happens during turbulence? We answer the questions nervous fliers actually have, from the pilots who do the job every day.
Insights from thousands of one-on-one calls with nervous fliers, listener questions, and the patterns we've learned, including the five nervous flier types that every anxious traveler falls into.
Featured Episode
49 min · Mar 12, 2026
Commercial airline captain Kyle Koukol and commercial pilot Christian Smith break down the United 787 engine fire departing LAX: ATC audio, compressor stalls, fire detection, and the evacuation decision.
Your Hosts
Commercial airline captain and founder of Dial A Pilot. Kyle has had thousands of one-on-one calls with nervous fliers and hosts the majority of episodes.
Entrepreneur turned commercial pilot and active flight instructor. Christian co-hosts From the Flight Deck and brings the perspective of someone who came to flying as a second career, relating to many nervous fliers who didn’t grow up around aviation either.
The podcast is free. For personalized help with a specific flight, book a 30-minute 1:1 call with one of our pilots.
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