165+ Great Aviation Quotes From the Runway to Your Heart! (Images)

In the world of aviation, where precision and safety are paramount, a unique language has taken flight over the years—aviation sayings.

These succinct and often poetic phrases encapsulate the essence of flying, offering insights, inspiration, and a touch of humor to pilots, enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by the art of conquering the skies.

Join us as we navigate through the rich tapestry of aviation sayings, exploring the wisdom and wit hidden behind the controls of these airborne vessels.

Great Aviation Quotes

  • “A good landing is one you walk away from.”
  • “The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I’d rather fly.”
  • “Aviation is proof that given the will, we have the scope to attain the unimaginable.”
  • “Gravity never loses, it always wins!”
  • “Flying is a lot like playing a musical instrument; you’re doing so many things and thinking of so many other things simultaneously. It becomes an ethereal escapade.”
  • “Fly and you’ll catch the swallow.”
  • “I think it is a pity to lose the romantic side of flying and simply to accept it as a common means of transport.”
  • “I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things.”
  • “A mile of road takes you a mile.”

  • “Sometimes, flying feels too godlike to be achieved by man. Sometimes, the world from above seems too attractive too magnificent, too far away for human eyes to see.”

  • “All the calculations show it can’t work. There’s only one thing to do: make it work.”

  • “Aviation has struck a delicately balanced world, a world where firmness was already giving way to the pressure of new energetic forces.”
  • “Flying prevails whenever a man and his airplane are tested for maximum performance.”

  • “Red sky at the morning, pilot’s warning. Red sky in the evening, pilot’s delight.”

  • “Aviation will give new nourishment to the religious spirit of mankind. It will add airspace to those other great heighteners of the celestial mood: the wood, the sea, the desert.”

  • “Never quit. Never give up. Fly it to the end.”

  • “To most people, the sky’s the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is their home.”

  • “Aviate, Navigate, and Communicate.”

  • “Truly worthier pilots are those who use their superior judgment to avoid those situations where they might have to use their superior skills.”

  • “Lovers of air travel find it thrilling to hang self-possessed between the hallucination of an everlasting life and the fact of death.”

  • “Always remember you fly an airplane with your head, not your hands.”

  • “Flying is the second greatest sensation known to man — landing is the first.”
  • “Definition of ‘pilot’: The first one to arrive at the scene of an aircraft accident.”

  • “I’d rather be flying than do nothing.”

  • “The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.”

  • “Everyone already knows the definition of a good landing is one from which you can walk away. But very few know the definition of an appreciable landing. It’s one after which you can use the airplane again.”

  • “I’m not afraid of flying; I’m afraid of not flying.”

  • “Takeoffs are optional, but landing is mandatory.”

  • “Never let an airplane take you somewhere your brain didn’t get to five minutes earlier.”
Aviation Sayings
  • “The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”

  • “A good landing is when the airplane can be used again immediately.”

  • “When everything is going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

  • “Aeronautics was neither an industry nor a science. It was a miracle.”

  • “Aviation is going to control the world economically and militarily whether we like it or not. Airpower is not merely military aviation; it is also civilian aviation, and airpower is peace power.”
  • “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who looked covetously on the birds taking its flight freely through space on the infinite highway of the air.”

  • “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

  • “Mistakes are inevitable in aviation, especially when one is still learning new things. The trick is to not make the mistake that will kill you.”

  • “Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness.”

  • “And like no other sculpture in the history of art, the dead engine and the dead airframe come to life at the touch of a human hand and join their life with the pilot’s own.”

  • “Same with anyone who’s been flying for years and loves it still, we’re part of a world we deeply love. Just as musicians feel about scores and melodies, dancers about the steps and flow of music, so we’re the ones with the principle of flight, the magic of being aloft in the wind!”

  • “I have often said that the lure of flying is the lure of beauty.”

  • “Flying is more than a sport and more than a job; flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime.”

  • “It’s better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.”

  • “Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.”

  • “Flying was very tangible freedom. In those days, it was a beauty, adventure, the discovery of the embodiment of breaking into new worlds.”
  • “Getting high is a part of my job description!”

  • “Aviation is the branch of engineering that is least forgiving of mistakes.”

  • “From high to low, watch the graveyard down below.”

  • “Aviation is fine as a sport. But as an instrument of war, it is of immense value.”

  • “Any pilot can describe the mechanics of flying. What it can do for the spirit of man is beyond explanation.”

  • “The excitement of flying is too keen, the pleasure too great, for it to be neglected as a sport.”

  • “Aviation in a nutshell- Always try to keep the number of landings to make equal to the number of takeoffs.”

Aviation Sayings

Aviation Sayings

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.” – Walter Raleigh

“The Wright brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together.” – Bill Gates

“The engine is the instrument of aviation.” – Wilbur Wright

“Aviation is proof that given the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.” – Eddie Rickenbacker

“The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn’t it be? – it is the same the angels breathe.” – Mark Twain

“I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home.”

“Flying is more than a sport and more than a job; flying is pure passion and desire, which fill a lifetime.” – General Adolf Galland

“I’d rather be flying.” – Amelia Earhart

“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”

“The most beautiful dream that has haunted the heart of man since Icarus is today reality.” – Louis Blériot

“You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.” – Amelia Earhart

“Aviation, this young modern giant, exemplifies the possible relationship of women and the creations of science.” – Margaret Mead

“Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.” – Neil Armstrong

“The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.”

“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space… on the infinite highway of the air.” – Wilbur Wright

“A mile of highway will take you just one mile, but a mile of runway can take you anywhere.”

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.” – Walter Raleigh

“The four most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you, runway behind you, gas back at the airport, and a tenth of a second ago.”

Funny Aviation Sayings

Aviation Sayings

“If God had meant for man to fly, he would have given us more money.”

“Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

“The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.”

“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”

“A mile of road will take you a mile, but a mile of runway can take you anywhere.”

“A pilot who doesn’t have any fear probably isn’t flying his plane to its maximum.”

“A good landing is one you can walk away from. A great landing is one where they can use the airplane again.”

“Helicopters don’t fly; they beat the air into submission.”

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.”

“The three most common expressions in aviation are ‘Why is it doing that?’, ‘Where are we?’, and ‘Oh no, not again!'”

“The worst day of flying still beats the best day of real work.”

“The only time an aircraft has too much fuel on board is when it’s on fire.”

“The best way to make a small fortune in aviation is to start with a large one.”

“A pilot’s two worst enemies: gravity and paperwork.”

“In aviation, you can’t make anything idiot-proof because idiots are so ingenious.”

“When in doubt, hold on to your altitude; nobody ever collided with the sky.”

“Why do they call it ‘Tourist Class’ on airliners? Shouldn’t it be ‘Survivor Class’?”

“A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication.”

“The only thing worse than a captain who never flew as a copilot is a copilot who once was a captain.”

“It’s a good landing if you can still get the doors open and walk away. It’s a great landing if the plane can be reused the next day.”

Aviation Sayings for Pilots

Aviation Sayings

“Fly it until the last piece stops moving.”

“A mile of road will take you a mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere.”

“A good landing is one you can walk away from. A great landing is one where you can use the airplane again.”

“Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.”

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.”

“A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication.”

“In aviation, you don’t have good days and bad days; you have good days and better days.”

“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”

“The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.”

“The three most useless things to a pilot are altitude above you, runway behind you, and fuel left at the airport.”

“Flying isn’t dangerous. Crashing is what’s dangerous.”

“There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.”

“If you’re faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.”

“Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn’t get to five minutes earlier.”

“The best way to make a small fortune in aviation is to start with a large one.”

“The cockpit looks better from a distance than up close.”

“Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of takeoffs.”

“The higher you fly, the faster you get to the scene of the crash.”

“A pilot who doesn’t have any fear probably isn’t flying his plane to its maximum.”

“Flying is hours and hours of boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror.”

Funny Pilot Sayings

Aviation Sayings

“Flying: the art of throwing yourself at the ground and missing.”

“I’m not lost; I’m just momentarily uncertain of my position.”

“I have an excellent landing record. I’ve never left one up there.”

“If it’s got wings, I can crash it.”

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul—mostly because the pilot needs a lot of heart to stay calm during turbulence.”

“Why do we press harder on the controls when we know we’re going down?”

“The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.”

“Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. If you can use the plane again, it’s an outstanding landing.”

“A good landing is one you can walk away from. A great landing is one where they can use the plane again.”

“There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.”

“Flying is simply hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror.”

“I’m not flying too low; I’m just hugging the Earth.”

“I’d rather be on the ground wishing I were in the air than in the air wishing I were on the ground.”

“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”

“Keep the blue side up and the dirty side down.”

“If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That’s the basic idea of flying.”

“I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things.”

“You know you’re a pilot when your car’s fuel gauge is perpetually on ‘E,’ but your airplane’s fuel tanks are always full.”

“The best time to buy an airplane is always 20 years ago.”

“In aviation, we don’t make mistakes; we have unplanned landings.”

Quotes by World Famous Aviators

“The engine is the heart of an airplane, but the pilot is its soul.” – Walter Raleigh

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie, from “Peter Pan”

“The good flyers are the ones brought up through the ranks. They’re the ones who never stop learning.” – Chuck Yeager

“Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. Landing is the first.” – Unknown

“The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.” – Unknown

“I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.” – Nikos Kazantzakis (inscribed on the tombstone of Greek aviator Alexander Papagos)

“The engine is the power of the airplane, but the pilot is its soul.” – Walter Raleigh

“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

“Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” – Douglas Adams

“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.” – Unknown

“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.” – William Blake

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.” – Wilbur Wright

“The cockpit was my office. It was a place where I experienced many emotions and learned many lessons. It was a place of work, but also a keeper of dreams. It was a place of deadly serious encounters, yet there I discovered much about life. I learned about joy and sorrow, pride and humility, fear and overcoming fear.” – Brian Shul

“A pilot who says he has never been frightened in an airplane is, I’m afraid, lying.” – Louise Thaden

“I have often said that the lure of flying is the lure of beauty.” – Amelia Earhart

“The four most beautiful words in our common language: ‘I told you so.'” – Gore Vidal

“More than anything else, the sensation of flying is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost—if you can conceive of such a combination.” – Wilbur Wright

“To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home.” – Jerry Crawford

“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” – Amelia Earhart

“I would like to die in my sleep, like my father did. Not in screaming terror, like his passengers.” – Bob Monkhouse (a comedian, not an aviator, but included here for humor)

quotes by world famous aviators

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Aviation Sayings

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