The Top 10 Best Movie Pilots

This is Your Captain Speaking… Uh… We Have a List of the Best Movie Pilots for You.

Movie pilots don’t get the praise they deserve. Whether it’s a fighter jet, airliner, or spaceship, a plane is only as good as the person flying it. That’s why this week Stars & Popcorn is taking a look at the best movie pilots of all time. Of course, not all pilots are created equal and because of that, I made an executive decision not to include those pilots who with special abilities that might give them the edge. That means you won’t see any Sith or Jedi on here because it’s too hard to tell where skills end and superpowers begin. That being said, there are still a ton of movie pilots out there that qualified for this list and it was hard to narrow them down. The ones that did make the cut though are the cream of the crop. So, put your tray tables up and return your seat to the upright position, because this list is ready for take-off.

10. Charles “Chappy” Sinclair- Iron Eagle

Kicking off this list of the best movie pilots is one of the stars of the 80s “classic” Iron Eagle. The film tells the tale of a young hotshot pilot who has to save his dear old dad who was shot down over the fictional middle eastern country of Bilya. Now, the obvious choice for this list might seem like the young hotshot, Doug Masters, but I’m going to have to go with his crotchety mentor who helps him to take on this impossible mission. Louis Gossett Jr. plays the Vietnam vet who makes the whole thing come together so that Masters can swoop in and save the day. While he might not be the “hero” of the film his skill and experience let him put together the perfect plan to save the day.    

9. Hikaru Sulu- Star Trek

Most movie pilots fly fighter planes or jumbo jets, but it didn’t seem fair not to include one of the best pilots in all of sci-fi-dom. Whether you’re a bigger fan of George Takei or John Cho’s take on the character, I think we can all agree that his skills piloting one of the greatest spaceships of all time make him a damn good pilot. Sure, it might not be the sexiest craft in the world and it doesn’t turn on a dime, but that just makes Sulu all the more impressive for making sure it gets home save from (almost) every mission. Sulu was part of the original crew of the USS Enterprise which consisted of the absolute best of the best and because of that, he’s definitely earned a spot among the rest of these movie pilots.

8. Ted Striker- Airplane!

One of the greatest comedies of all time has to be the movie Airplane!. The film was a huge influence on me growing up which is why I couldn’t put together a list of the best movie pilots without including Ted Striker. The traumatized war hero with a drinking problem found himself aboard the ill-fated flight because he was trying to win back the love of his life. Fortunately, he was on board (and didn’t eat the fish) because when the flight crew comes down with food poisoning it’s up to him to face his fears and save the day. Striker might seem like the black sheep among these other movie pilots, but he saved a lot of lives and that’s what counts. Though, to be honest, it was a toss-up between him and the autopilot.   

7. Lt. Ted “Iceman” Kazansky- Top Gun

You didn’t really think I’d put together a list of the best movie pilots and not mention Top Gun at least once, did you? The movie is the epitome of machismo 80s films and one of the greatest plane movies of all time. That’s why I’m honoring Val Kilmer’s “Iceman.” A lot of people might think he deserves to come in higher on this list and there’s no denying that he’s got the skills to pay the bills. However, he’s also the closest thing Top Gun has to a villain and is a bit of a prick overall. Still, this isn’t a list of the nicest movie pilots, so at the end of the day, I’m willing to give credit where credit is due. After all, “Maverick” wouldn’t have been able to swoop in and save the day without his help.

6. Captain Steven Hiller- Independence Day

A staple of my childhood was the movie Independence Day and I knew when I started putting together this list of movie pilots that either Steven Hiller or Thomas Whitmore. While Whitmore might be one hell of a movie President, he doesn’t hold a candle to Hiller’s skills as a pilot. After all, Hiller not only managed to take out a swarm of alien ships with technology far more advanced than our own. As if that weren’t enough he even manages to pilot one of the spaceships and played a key role in stopping the whole alien invasion. For my money, that makes him one hell of a pilot and I think the whole human race might agree with me on that one. Plus, he had enough sense not to return for Independence Day: Resurgance.