In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Naval Aviation Ready Room Podcast with Legends and Leaders, host Ryan Keys welcomes Captain Steve Scheibner, a veteran naval aviator, commercial airline captain, and leadership mentor whose career and life were forever altered by a fateful twist of history. Beginning his career as a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion pilot, Scheibner played a vital role in Cold War anti-submarine warfare, where decentralized command and trust were essential to mission success. Transitioning into commercial aviation with American Airlines, he expanded his skills and perspectives as a professional aviator.

On September 11, 2001, a last-minute scheduling change kept Scheibner from being in the cockpit of American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane hijacked that morning. That near miss reframed his life’s purpose,  ...