23 All-Time Best Movies About Flying [How Many Have You Seen?]

Are you ready to take flight on a cinematic journey like no other? From the adrenaline-pumping dogfights of "Top Gun" to the heartwarming adventures of "Planes" the world of aviation has provided the backdrop for some of the most unforgettable moments in film history.

In this article, we'll be soaring through the skies and revisiting the 23 all-time best movies about flying.

If you're a fan of heart-stopping aerial combat or stories of courage and adventure high above the clouds, this list is sure to remind you of some classics while introducing you to a few hidden gems.

Grab the popcorn and your remote as you settle in for your next pilot movie marathon. Did your favorite film make the cut? There’s only one way to find out.

Best Aviation Comedies & Romances

Up in the Air (2009)

Not much can stand in the way of a frequent flier who spends his days traveling the country, firing people, and racking up airline miles. Just as he’s nearing his goal of ten million miles, however, his job is threatened by a videoconferencing alternative and a woman who just may change the way he feels about the work he does.

Airplane (1980)

Widely regarded as the very best aviation comedy, this parody film pokes fun at the flying disaster movie sub-genre while reveling in the relatable commercial airline passenger headaches of irritating seatmates and overly cheery flight crews.

Best Aviation Dramas

Flight (2012)

Denzel Washington stars as an airline pilot who uses creative piloting skills to save nearly everyone on board after an aircraft malfunction. Unfortunately, this seemingly heroic action is complicated by the pilot’s personal history of alcoholism which becomes the subject of a post-accident liability investigation that threatens to end his career.

Airport (1970)

Everything that can go wrong does with compounding disastrous effect in the movie version of the aviation novel featuring bombs, stowaways, snowstorms, mechanical malfunctions, scheduling faux paus, and more.

Air Force One (1997)

Hijacking is a popular theme in aviation action films, and the stakes are even higher when the commandeered plane is Air Force One. While in real life, the President would never be front and center in the dramatic quest to retake the plane, this is Hollywood. Follow Harrison Ford as the U.S. president who defies the odds to save his wife, his daughter, and himself after the aircraft takeover.

Best Based on True Story Aviation Movies

The Aviator (2004)

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the dramatic biopic following the early years of film director and pilot Howard Hughes’ career. The movie covers the late 1920s through the mid-1940s and focuses on Hughes’ role in designing and promoting new experimental aircraft plus founding Pan Am rival TWA.

Sully (2016)

The man behind the “Miracle on the Hudson” comes to the forefront as Tom Hanks portrays pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. The film covers the day Captain Sully landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, saving everyone on board. It also delves into the intense aftermath of an NTSB investigation that claimed Captain Sully could have landed the damaged Airbus A320 at an airport rather than risking the river landing.

The Terminal (2004)

Many of us feel like we live at the airport, but “The Terminal” is inspired by the real-world story of an Iranian refugee who really became a stateless person and lived in Charles De Gaulle Airport for more than eighteen years.

Catch Me if You Can (2002)

The hunt is on as we follow the true story of a young con man who posed as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and prosecutor while flying around the world and evading the FBI agent tasked with putting him behind bars. Period 1960s flight attendant uniforms add to the visual nostalgia of this film.

The Right Stuff (1983)

The selection process was intense for the group of men who took the U.S. space program from breaking the sound barrier into space. This film charts the beginnings of that program from Chuck Yaeger to the Mercury 7 astronauts while showing what it took to become one of the first men in the space program.

Best Flying Movies for Kids

Planes (2013)

If your kids loved Disney Pixar’s “Cars,” it’s time to introduce them to “Planes.” The talking flying machines in “Planes” come “from above the world of Cars,” so they will feel familiar. Follow crop duster, Dusty, as he overcomes his fear of heights and competes in the around-the-world aerial race he’s always dreamed of.

Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)

The 2013 “Planes” film did so well that Disney doubled down with a sequel. This time Dusty leaves racing to become an aerial firefighter. He joins a forest fire and rescue unit of smokejumpers as they battle a massive wildfire threatening the world of Cars.

Best Military Flying Movies

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)

Immediately after the first World War, returned pilots with nothing to do missed flying. They found a way to get back in the air and provide entertainment through series of aerial dogfight shows known as barnstorming. This historical fiction film explores the world of barnstorming by following the fictional Waldo Pepper’s life. All the in-air scenes were filmed during flight, not on the ground or in a studio.   

Twelve o’clock High (1949)

In the early days of WWII bombing raids, a team of B-17 pilots are given the impossible task of continuing to fly mission after mission while their unit sustains heavy losses. Morale suffers and a new general is brought in to push the men to continue. This film has earned its ranking thanks to the actual aerial combat footage spliced in and for its depictions of PTSD.

The Red Baron (2008)

Several films have explored the life of World War I German fighter ace, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, better known as the Red Baron. The 2008 German biopic imagines the humanity behind the legend. It follows the fighting ace’s many kills and depicts him ultimately recognizing the true cost of war.

Memphis Belle (1990)

If you’re up for a double-header movie night, pair “Twelve o’clock High” with “Memphis Belle.” Like “Twelve o’clock High,” the plot of “Memphis Belle” follows a squadron of U.S. Army Air Corps pilots flying mission after mission in dangerous enemy airspace.

The Memphis Belle movie is based on the real-world story of the heavy bomber by the same name that became the first to fly twenty-five combat missions over Europe and return to the United States. The movie follows the crew as they prepare for and fly their record-breaking twenty-fifth mission.

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Set in the days immediately following Pearl Harbor, this historical film follows the real-life story of young lieutenant Ted Lawson who volunteers to fly a secret bombing mission to Japan while his pregnant wife waits at home. The storyline is based on the famous Doolittle Raids designed to retaliate and attack Japan by launching sixteen fully loaded bombers from an aircraft carrier.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Part love story, part military historical fiction, this film focuses on the human impact of December 7, 1941. The action drama follows two friends and a nurse leading up to and in the aftermath of that fateful day.

The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

This historical fiction film chronicles the real-life story of the group of Black U.S. Army Air Force servicemen who made up the first all-Black combat pilot unit in the U.S. military. Most of the movie characters are composites of real Tuskegee airmen, but pilot Benjamin Davis was real.

Battle of Britain (1969)

The historical Battle of Britain was a turning point in World War II. During this air battle, the British Royal Air Force kept the German Luftwaffe from establishing air superiority over the English Channel. This film follows both sides as they prepare for and engage in battle.

Hell’s Angels (1930)

Long before the motorcycle club, Hell’s Angels was a classic aviator film about two brothers who left Oxford college life to join the British Royal Flying Corps. Together they volunteer to carry out a dangerous two man bombing mission of a strategic German munitions facility, then attempt to make it home alive. This film is one of the first color and sound action films ever produced.

Top Gun (1986)

There’s really no introduction needed for the most well-known and distinctive of all aviation movies. If you somehow haven’t seen it, put this one at the very top of your list. And make sure your kids watch it as soon as they’re old enough to “feel the need for speed.”

Make a night of it by building one of the Cobi Blocks Top Gun airplane models. Your young aviator can choose the Mustang P-51D, or the F/A-18E Super Hornet Limited Edition.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

The highly anticipated “Top Gun” reboot does not disappoint. Tom Cruise returns, this time as an instructor training a young class of pilots that includes the son of his best friend “Goose” who [spoiler alert for anyone who has managed to never see the original film] was killed in action thirty years earlier.

It’s your turn

Our votes are in, now what about yours? Which of your favorite movies made the cut and which didn’t? In the comments below, let us know what top aviation movies you’re going to add to the list for your next movie night.

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