Best Pilots of All Time - Top 10 in the World
by Surya
Updated Mar 18, 2023
Best Pilots of All Time
After man reached every level in this universe, he began to build vehicles. One such level is the sky, where he developed airplanes. These days, airplanes come in various sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The airplanes are used for recreation, military purposes, transportation of goods and people, and research. Most flights are flown by a pilot on board the aircraft, but a few are designed to be remotely or computer-controlled, such as drones.
Top 10 Best Airline Pilots in the World
Many of them have an interest in knowing about the top 10 pilots in the world. The following is the list of the Top 10 Pilots in the World.
S. No
Famous Pilots Names
Pancho Barnes
Louis Blériot
Erich Hartmann
Chuck Yeager
Manfred von Richthofen
Wright Brothers
Jimmy Doolittle
Amelia Earhart
Charles Lindbergh
Sully Sullenberger
Top 10 Greatest Pilots of All Time
1) Pancho Barnes
Pancho Barnes was a pioneer aviator and the founder of the first film stunt pilots' union. In 1930, Pancho broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record. She raced in the Women's Air Derby and was a member of the Ninety-Nines. She was born Florence Leontine Lowe on July 22, 1901, to Thaddeus Lowe II and his first wife, Florence May Dobbins, in Pasadena, California. Later, she became famous as the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant in the Mojave Desert, southern California, providing catering service to the legendary test pilots and aviators who worked nearby. Pancho ran a barnstorming show and competed in air races.
2) Louis Blériot
Louis Blériot was an aviator, inventor, and engineer, from France. Louis was the first to use a mixture of foot-operated rudder control and a hand-operated joystick to function the aircraft control surfaces. He was the first of five children born to Clémence and Charles Blériot on 1 July 1872, in Cambrai, France. Louis was the first to make a powered, working, piloted monoplane. Louis Charles Joseph Blério was the real name of Louis Blériot. Louis developed the first physical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, with the money he made to finance to construct of an aircraft.
3) Erich Hartmann
Erich Alfred Hartmann was a fighter pilot during World War II, from German. He was considered the least successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. Erich was born on 19 April 1922 in Weissach, Württemberg, to Doctor Alfred Erich Hartmann and Elisabeth Wilhelmine Machtholf. Erich flew 1 combat mission and took part in aerial combat on 1 separate occasion. When he was serving with the Luftwaffe, Erich was credited with shooting down a total of 1 Allied aircraft: 1 Soviet and 0 American. During the course of his career, Erich was compelled to crash-land his fighter 1 time due to mechanical failure or damage obtained from parts of an enemy aircraft he had shot down. Erich was never shot down by direct enemy action.
4) Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager was an Air Force officer, record-setting test pilot, and a flying ace from the United States. In October 1947, Chuck became the first pilot to have attained the speed of sound in level flight. Chuck was brought up in Hamlin, West Virginia. Chuck was born February 13, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia, to his farming parents, Albert Hal Yeager and Susie Mae Yeager. Chuck began his career in World War II as a private in the United States Army, in 1941. After working as an aircraft mechanic since September 1942, Chuck got into pilot training. After his graduation, Chuck was promoted to the rank of flight officer. Albert Hal Yeager was real name of Chuck.
5) Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen, or Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He served as the Ace-of-Aces of the war, as he was officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Manfred’s parents were Major Albrecht Philipp Karl Julius Freiherr von Richthofen and Kunigunde von Schickfuss and Neudorff. Manfred was originally a cavalryman, who got transferred to the Air Service in 1915. He became one of the first members of Jagdstaffel 2 in 1916. Manfred distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and then in 1917, he became the leader of Jasta 11.
6) Wright Brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright were American aviation pioneers commonly credited with inventing, constructing, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. Orville and Wilbur Wright were two of seven children born to Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner. On December 17, 1903, they discovered the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer in the south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. These famous Brothers were also the first to invent the aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
7) Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle was a military general and aviation pioneer, from America. He won the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. Jimmy made early coast-to-coast flights and record-breaking speed flights. He won many flying races and helped develop flight-test instrument flying. Jimmy was born on December 14, 1896, in Alameda, California, to his parents Frank Henry Doolittle and Rosa Cerenah Doolittle. Jimmy served as a flying instructor during World War I and then as a reserve officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Jimmy was recalled to active duty during World War II. Jimmy was awarded the Medal of Honor for personal valor and leadership as commander of the Doolittle Raid. James Harold Doolittle
8) Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was an aviation pioneer and writer from America. Amelia became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She made several other records and was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel. Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, to Samuel "Edwin" Stanton Earhart and Amelia "Amy." Amelia wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and played a key role in the forming of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Amelia Mary Earhart was another name for Amelia Earhart.
9) Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh was an aviator, military officer, inventor, author, and activist, from America. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance of 3,600 miles, flying solo for 33.5 hours. Charles Lindberg was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Charles’s aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis, was developed and built by the Ryan Airline Company specifically to take part in the competition for the Orteig Prize for the first flight between the two cities. It was considered to be the first solo transatlantic flight and the first nonstop transatlantic flight between two major city hubs, and the longest by over 1,900 miles.
10) Sully Sullenberger
Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III is a retired fighter pilot, airline pilot, and diplomat from America. He is famous as the captain of US Airways Flight 1549, which he ditched in the Hudson River in 2009 after both engines failed because of a bird strike. All 155 people aboard survived. Chesley was born in Denison, Texas, on January 23, 1951. Chelsey is considered an outspoken advocate for aviation safety. He has helped construct new protocols for airline safety. Chelsey served as the co-chairman, along with his co-pilot, Jeffrey Skiles, from 2009 to 2013.
Who is the best Pilot in the World?
Chuck Yeager is considered to be the best pilot in the world. Chuck served as a test pilot and flew several types of aircraft, including experimental rocket-powered aircraft for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). Through the NACA program, Chuck was the first human to officially break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, by flying the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m). For that, Chuck won both the Collier and Mackay trophies in 1948. Chuck then went on to set many speed and altitude records in the following years. In 1962, Chuck became the first commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, which trained astronauts for NASA and the Air Force.
Best Pilots of All Time - FAQs
Pancho Barnes was a pioneer aviator and the founder of the first film stunt pilots' union.
Louis Blériot was an aviator, inventor, and engineer, from France.
Erich Alfred Hartmann was a fighter pilot during World War II,from German.
Chuck Yeager was an Air Force officer, record-setting test pilot, and a flying ace from the United States.
Manfred von Richthofen, or Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I.