The Best Pilots in the World Throughout History

We live in a modern world where private jet charter is available at the click of a button. There is very little limitation on the destinations that we are able to fly to, thanks to the combination of commercial airline and private flights.

With the world as our oyster, it becomes easy to forget about those who made all of this possible: the pilots willing to fly new, untested aircraft or build the first of the machines that we take for granted today.

From modern aviation founders the Wright brothers to Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, some pilots have left their mark on the history of aviation. Join Air Charter Service as we take a look back at some of the greatest pilots in history, from the dawn of flight to the modern day.

1. Wilbur and Orville Wright: the founders of modern aviation

The Wright brothers – Wilbur and Orville – cemented their name in aviation history when they performed the inaugural successful flight of the world’s very first airplane. The brothers, both inventors and engineers, designed and built the pioneering machine that took to the skies in California on 17 December 1903. Four years in the making, this historic day ushered in modern aviation as we know it.

The American brothers went on to improve the model, essentially inventing the world’s first fixed-wing aircraft. Their most notable invention, however, was the three-axis control. This device allows pilots to effectively steer an aircraft while maintaining equilibrium and is still used in fixed-wing aircraft today, more than a century later.

2. Amelia Earhart: the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean

Probably the most famous female pilot of all time, Amelia Earhart’s story is one of triumph shrouded in mystery. While her 1932 crossing of the Atlantic was a first for women, it was the penultimate flight of a career that cemented her name in aviation history.

Following her record-breaking mission, Earhart set out to circumnavigate the globe aboard a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, but her mission ended when the plane disappeared over the Pacific. Earhart’s last known contact with ground control was to signal that she was low on fuel and was experiencing inclement weather. Speculation as to what really happened to one of the world’s best pilots on that fateful day in 1937 was seemingly put to rest when a recent study confirmed that human bones found on a Pacific island were Earhart’s remains; however, some experts remain cynical.

3. Florence ‘Pancho’ Barnes: the first female stunt pilot

Fearless and determined, Florence ‘Pancho’ Barnes famously undertook a mere six hours of instruction before her first solo flight. After earning her wings in a self-bought Travel Air biplane, American-born Barnes quickly became an expert pilot. While she had an extensive flying career, she’s best known for two impressive aeronautical accomplishments.

Barnes’ first claim to fame was setting a new world speed record for female pilots at the 1930 Women’s Air Derby in California, where she clocked in at 196.19mph and knocked long-time rival Earhart off the top spot. Her most memorable achievement, however, was as the world’s first female stunt pilot in Howard Hughes’ 1930 film, Hell’s Angels.

4. Charles Lindbergh: performed the first solo transatlantic flight

American Charles Lindbergh’s first foray into flying was as a pilot for the United States Air Mail Service, but it was his ground-breaking solo transatlantic flight that catapulted him to aviation stardom. With a duration of 33-and-a-half hours and spanning 3,600 miles, Lindbergh touched down in Paris on 21 May 1927 in the single-engine monoplane, ‘The Spirit of St Louis’. Lindbergh’s foray into solo aviation was inspired by the Orteig Prize, a reward offered to the first person to complete a solo crossing of the Atlantic, non-stop from New York City to Paris. In addition to the prize money, ‘Lucky Lindy’ was awarded a Medal of Honor by the US Army for his historic feat.

Besides his aviation achievements, Lindbergh enjoyed a diverse – and storied – career. His passion and talents took many forms, most notably as a vocal conservationist, daredevil stunt pilot, early proponent of space travel and co-inventor of an artificial heart. Tragically, Lindbergh's name is also synonymous with what was known as the ‘Crime of the Century’ – the kidnap and murder of his infant son, Charles Lindbergh Jr.

5. Charles ‘Chuck’ E Yeager: the first pilot to break the sound barrier

At the age of 19, Chuck Yeager registered as an aircraft mechanic with the US Army Corps. Just two years later, thanks to his excellent eyesight and uncanny ease in the cockpit, Yeager earned his wings as a Flight Officer, a role that saw him take on the infamous Nazi Luftwaffe. Known for his skilled manoeuvring in the air, Yeager piloted a propeller-operated P-15 Mustang and single-handedly shot down 14 German planes, one of which was a brand new (and much more powerful) Messerschmitt-262. He went on to work as a sought-after test pilot, and became the first to break the sound barrier when he reached speeds of 670mph in a Bell X-1 rocket-engine-powered aircraft during a level flight on 14 October 1947.

Yeager enjoyed an illustrious career spanning four decades up until his well-deserved retirement in 1975. His aviation prowess also inspired Tom Wolfe’s book, The Right Stuff, catapulting Yeager to international stardom as an Air Force icon. Even into his nineties, Yeager continued to impress, taking to the skies and appearing as a sought-after guest at local and international events, but he died in December 2020, aged 97.

6. Muhammad Mahmood Alam: the quickest ace in history

Pakistani Air Force fighter pilot Muhammad Mahmood Alam is known as one of the best pilots in the world owing to the awe-inspiring aeronautical combat skills he demonstrated during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. His incredible speed and agility saw him receive the title of ‘ace’ – a moniker given to jet fighter pilots who shoot down a minimum of five enemy craft. In under a minute, Alam took out five Indian Hawker Hunter jets – four of them within 30 seconds. A beloved Pakistani hero, Alam is still revered today by fighter pilots for his incredible agility, speed and accuracy.

7. James H Doolittle: solo crossing of the continental United States

American Jimmy Doolittle is best known for his 1922 solo crossing of the US, which he managed in less than 24 hours. But there’s much more to the man than this single feat. At the age of 15, Doolittle began his first flight attempts: he’d take his hand-built gliders to the edge of a cliff… and jump off. He was never put off by the injuries he accumulated or the number of gliders that he wrecked, taking this seemingly crazy plunge time after time.

After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1922, Doolittle undertook his famous flight. But he didn’t stop there, and in 1927, became the first person to successfully perform an ‘outside loop’. He was also the first person to take off and land an aircraft using only instruments such as the altimeter, artificial horizon and direction gyro in 1929. 

Doolittle then took the air-racing world by storm, winning three major trophies and setting a world landplane speed record in 1932. After this, he led the mysterious bombing mission in Tokyo just four months after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Although the mission was not successful, he was awarded the US Congressional Medal of Honor.

8. Robert A Hoover: the ‘greatest stick-and-rudder man that ever lived’

While Robert A Hoover is best remembered for the ‘energy-management routine’ that he flew in a Shrike Commander (a twin-engine business aircraft), he also has an incredible backstory. In 1944, his Spitfire was shot down by a Focke-Wulf FW 190 over the Mediterranean. Hoover was captured and spent 16 months in the Stalag Luft 1 prison in Germany. He eventually managed a daring escape, and appropriated an FW 190 (which he had never piloted before), and flew to safety in Holland. After the Second World War, Hoover signed up as an Army Air Forces test pilot, and flew captured Japanese and German aircraft. In fact, he was even Yeager’s backup pilot in the Bell X-1 program.

In the mid-1950s, Hoover began flying civil and military aircraft at airshows in North America, and was called the “greatest stick-and-rudder man who ever lived” by none other than Jimmy Doolittle. It was during one of these airshows that Hoover actually showcased his energy management routine: he’d shut down both engines, then execute a loop – an eight-point hesitation slow-roll and then a touchdown on one tyre, then the other, finishing with a perfect landing on the centre of the runway. 

Hoover died aged 94 in 2016, but will always be remembered for his resilience and downright daredevilry.

Fly by private charter with ACS

Many of the best pilots in the world made their names during international conflict. Others become the first to cross oceans, get further around the globe or build some of the world’s first planes. But no matter what the pilots are remembered for, each one of them has left a lasting legacy on the commercial and private jet industry that we know today.

Air Charter Service (ACS) is a private plane rental company that has a rich history, too, and all of our charters are manned by expert pilots. We put our combined experiences and expertise into each aircraft charter to ensure that our clients get the best possible service on the market. Please get in touch to find out more about plane rental.

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