Porter discovered a YouTube channel called Mentour Pilot, and we both quickly became fascinated.
Petter Hörnfeldt, a well-credentialed airline pilot, uses this channel to inform both fellow pilots and ordinary airline passengers about aviation practices, procedures, and safety, mostly through exploring spectacular aviation accidents: what caused them, how they were handled, what was learned from them, and what changes were then made.
You might think that learning the details about mostly gruesome aviation events would make people afraid to fly at all, but I find that it actually demonstrates why flying continues to be an exceedingly safe mode of transportation. These videos have greatly increased my admiration for pilots, air traffic controllers, and flight attendants. (Contrary to popular opinion, the flight attendants are not chiefly on the plane to serve us drinks.) Not to mention they've given me more respect for the safety rules and procedures that I tend to respond to with a mental, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard all this a zillion times; just let me get back to my book."
Most of the stories are long and detailed, as they must be to provide any substantial information, but to whet your appetite, here's a short (two-minute) video that highlights why the airlines are so particular about lithium batteries. (Plus it gives you the opportunity to hear his delightful Swedish accent.)
Naturally, having a pilot in the family makes these videos of particular interest to us, but any airline passenger could enjoy and benefit from them.
