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A Legendary Movie Pilot Shares a Lifetime of Great Stories

J.W. “Corkey” Fornof performed breathtaking stunts for decades, but safety was always paramount.

Corky Fornof cover image
[Photo illustration by Amy Jo Sledge]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • J.W. "Corkey" Fornof is a veteran aerial stunt pilot and coordinator, renowned for his work in numerous major films (e.g., *Mission: Impossible II*, James Bond) and having flown 311 different aircraft over 17,000 hours.
  • Despite performing audacious stunts, Fornof maintains an impeccable safety record, holding ultimate control over safety during film shoots through meticulous planning and briefing.
  • His extensive and successful career, including surviving dangerous close calls, is attributed to rigorous training from figures like his father and Bob Hoover, emphasizing total control and situational awareness.
  • Fornof's portfolio includes iconic aerial feats, such as flying a Jetstar II through a hangar in *Face/Off*, showcasing his precision and skill.
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Movie pilot J.W. “Corkey” Fornof has flown thousands of hours performing aerial film stunts that probably looked crazy to the untrained eye. However, his impeccable record shows a career-long commitment to safety at all times. In movies such as Mission: Impossible II, Six Days Seven Nights, The Phantom, Face/Off, and James Bond thrillers Licence to Kill and Octopussy—plus many others—Fornof was involved in the on-screen aerial stunt flying, not only as the pilot, but also on the teams that coordinated every mission.

Dan Pimentel

Dan Pimentel is an instrument-rated private pilot and former airplane owner who has been flying since 1996. As an aviation journalist and photographer, he has covered all aspects of the general and business aviation communities for a long list of major aviation magazines, newspapers and websites. He has never met a flying machine that he didn’t like, and has written about his love of aviation for years on his Airplanista blog. For 10 years until 2019, he hosted the popular ‘Oshbash’ social media meetup events at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

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