Ultimate Issue: When TV Stars Had Wings

Memories of those little airplanes that made the small screen come alive.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 at 09:16 AM ET

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The first and arguably most successful aviation-themed TV show was the weekly series 'Sky King.' [Courtesy: Ron Finger/Redpine Studio]

Key Takeaways:

General aviation (GA) aircraft have a long and prominent history as stars of television, from post-WWII dramas like Sky King (featuring Cessna T-50 Bobcat and 310B Songbirds) to more modern reality series.
Early shows often incorporated actual aircraft, such as actor Bob Cummings' personal Aerocar I flying car in The New Bob Cummings Show, providing unique storylines and showcasing aviation innovation.
Successful comedy series like Wings (Cessna 402C) and contemporary reality shows such as Flying Wild Alaska (Cessna 207 Skywagon, 185) continue to feature GA planes as central elements, highlighting their diverse roles and the drama of flight.

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With the emergence of reality TV, most pilots will admit to having binge watched some sort of program about flying, usually based in the cold northern regions and always involving perilous situations and larger-than-life characters.

Ice Pilots, Flying Wild Alaska, and Airplane Repo immediately come to mind, and each has featured general aviation airplanes in a starring role. However, turn the clock back a few years and TV and movie star pilots were nothing new in the post-World War II American landscape. Academy Award winner Jimmy Stewart was a decorated WWII bomber pilot and starred in a series of aviation-themed movies after the war, most notably 1957’s Spirit of St. Louis.