List of aviators

Last updated September 05, 2025

General

While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or popularization.

Military pilots

A

B

C

D

F

Joe Foss

G

H

J

K

Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell

L

M

N

Jorge Newbery

O

P

Keith Park

R

S

T

V

W

Y

Z

Fred Zinn

Other famous figures with an aviation history

The following is a list of notable people from various professions who are also pilots:

A

Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Carl Anthony, American actor
James Arness, American actor
David Ascalon, contemporary sculptor and stained glass artist; co-founder of Ascalon Studios

B

Dierks Bentley, American country musician
Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld
Ryan Bittle, American actor
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013
André Borschberg, Swiss businessman
Richard Branson, chairman, Virgin Group
Aaron Buerge, The Bachelor star
Jimmy Buffett, American singer, songwriter, author, businessman
Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model
George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
George W. Bush, eldest son of George H. W. Bush and 43rd President of the United States
Rod Buskas, Canadian ice hockey player

C

Maie Casey, Australian pioneer aviator, poet, librettist, biographer, memoirist and artist; wife of Richard Casey; Governor-General of Australia, 1969–74
Kirby Chambliss, American aerobatics world champion
Roy Clark, American musician
Dave Coulier, American actor and comedian
Tom Cruise, American actor
Robert Cummings, American actor and aviator

D

Roald Dahl, British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter
Terry Deitz, American television personality
Glen Dell, South African commercial airline trainer and aerobatics pilot
John Denver, American country music/folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician
Mukul Dev, Indian actor
Bruce Dickinson, English singer, TV presenter, airline pilot
Michael Dorn, American actor
Billie Dove, American actress
Jerry Doyle, American talk radio host, right-libertarian political commentator and television actor
Jeff Dunham, American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian.

E

Clint Eastwood, American actor, director
Noel Edmonds, English television presenter and executive
Carl Edwards, American NASCAR driver
Hunter Ellis, American television personality

F

Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American television host
Harrison Ford, American actor
Malcolm Forbes, hot air balloon pilot
Morgan Freeman, American actor

G

Lea Gabrielle, American fighter pilot turned journalist, Correspondent for Fox News Channel
Rajiv Gandhi, prime minister of India 1984–1989, son of India's first female prime minister Indira Gandhi
David Gilmour, English musician, best known as the guitarist, lead singer and one of the songwriters in the rock band Pink Floyd
John Glenn, American astronaut and former Ohio senator
Hermann Göring, German politician, military leader and a leading member of the Nazi party
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, American actor
Kirby Grant, Sky King
Ken Griffey Jr., Major League Baseball 13-time All-Star

H

Najeeb Halaby, Administrator of the United States Federal Aviation Administration and father of Queen Noor of Jordan
Howard Hawks, American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era
Alfred C. Haynes, American Speaker at social events
Rudolf Hess, prominent figure in Nazi Germany
Dexter Holland, singer and rhythm guitarist for the Californian punk pop band The Offspring
Wil Horneff, American actor
Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer
Gary Hubler, Champion of the Reno Air Races
Bruce Hyer, Canadian politician

J

Angelina Jolie, American actress
Bart Johnson, American actor
Steve Jones, Red Bull Air Race World Series competitor

K

Greg Kelly, American journalist; youngest son of NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly; anchor of WNYW (Fox 5 New York)
John F. Kennedy Jr., son of assassinated U. S. president John F. Kennedy
John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State
B. B. King, musician
Kris Kristofferson, American writer, singer-songwriter, actor and musician
Larry Kusche, American author

L

Veronica Lake, American actress
Lorenzo Lamas, American actor
Cory Lidle, American baseball player
Per Lindstrand
Tom Logan, American director, writer, producer, acting instructor, and former actor
Shane Lundgren, American aviator and commercial aviation businessman and entrepreneur

M

William P. MacCracken Jr., First Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics
Joe Manchin, United States Senator and Governor of West Virginia
Dean Paul Martin, American singer and actor
Soong Mei-ling, former first lady of China
John McCain, senior U.S. Senator from Arizona, 2008 U.S. presidential candidate
Richie McCaw, retired New Zealand rugby great, now working as a helicopter pilot in his homeland
Jay McGraw, American writer
Phil McGraw, American television personality; host of Dr. Phil
Tim McGraw, American actor and musician
Michael of Romania, the last King of Romania, and one of the last living leaders of World War II
John Michels, American football player
Arseny Mironov, Russian aerospace engineer and aviator, scientist in aircraft aerodynamics and flight testing
Paul Moyer, American journalist; veteran television news broadcaster in Southern California
Thurman Munson, American baseball player

N

Gary Numan, English singer, musician, composer, air display pilot, flying examiner

O

Vivek Oberoi, Indian actor
Miles O'Brien, American journalist; former CNN correspondent
Susan Oliver, Emmy-nominated American actress, television director and aviator

P

Arnold Palmer, late American champion golfer
Fess Elisha Parker, American actor
Jake Pavelka, reality TV personality
Rick Perry, Texas Governor
Brad Pitt, American actor
Dave Price, American journalist, Anchor of WNYW (Fox 5 New York), anchor of Good Day New York
Michael D. Protack, American businessman and candidate for Governor of Delaware

Q

Dennis Quaid, American actor

R

Lars Rådeström, Swedish fighter aircraft test pilot
Kangana Ranaut, Indian actress
Katherine Rawls, multiple United States national champion in swimming and diving in the 1930s
Christopher Reeve, American actor, director, producer and writer
Earl W. Renfroe, history maker in the field of orthodontics and in breaking down the barriers of racism
Rob Riggle, American actor and comedian
James A. Rice, American attorney, judge, and politician
Cliff Robertson, American actor
Ed Robertson, Canadian musician
Stephen Rogers, Canadian politician
Charles Rolls, British aviation pioneer
Kurt Russell, American actor

S

Chuck Scarborough, American journalist; veteran television news anchor for WNBC (Channel 4 New York)
Carlo Schmid, youngest solo pilot to fly around the world
Jon Scott, American journalist, anchor for Fox News channel
Al Secord, former NHL player
Ryan Shore, Grammy and Emmy Award-nominated composer for film, television, games, theater and records
Nevil Shute, popular British novelist; successful aeronautical engineer
Dean Smith, American pioneer pilot
James Stewart, popular American actor

T

J. R. D. Tata, Indian industrialist
Ratan Naval Tata, Indian industrialist
Norman Tebbit, British Conservative politician
John Travolta, American actor
Ariel Tweto, one of two daughters of the Alaska airline family

U

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

V

Gore Vidal, American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, essayist, short story writer, actor and politician
Mike Vogel, American actor
Pavel Vlasov, Russian test pilot, Hero of the Russian Federation
Igor Volk, Soviet test pilot, cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union

W

Bonny Warner, American luger
Frank Welker, American actor, best known for the thousands of voices he performs in television and films including Freddie in Scooby-Doo and Megatron in the Transformers franchise.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King of the Netherlands and part-time KLM pilot
Alverna Babbs Williams, First American pilot with disabilities to earn a pilot's license^[3]
Ted Williams, left fielder in Major League Baseball

References

↑ van Wyngarden, Greg (2006). Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #73: Early German Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-997-4.
↑ Notin, Jean-Christophe (2000). 1061 Compagnons, histoire des Compagnons de la libération : Histoire des Compagnons de la Libération. Paris: Perrin. ISBN 2262016062.
↑ "Alverna Babbs: Fighting to Fly – Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Part 1". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

External links

Database of notable aviators with photos

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[1] van Wyngarden, Greg (2006). Osprey Aircraft of the Aces #73: Early German Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-997-4.

[2] Notin, Jean-Christophe (2000). 1061 Compagnons, histoire des Compagnons de la libération : Histoire des Compagnons de la Libération. Paris: Perrin. ISBN 2262016062.

[3] "Alverna Babbs: Fighting to Fly – Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Part 1". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

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