7 Best Aviation YouTube Channels for Flight Training
What Are the Best Aviation YouTube Channels?
The best aviation YouTube channels for flight training mix instruction with inspiration. Our picks are Thrust Flight, Angle of Attack, The Finer Points, Captain Joe, Aviation 101 Productions, Stevie Triesenberg, and My Layover Life. Some are run by flight instructors who teach maneuvers and checkride tips, some by airline pilots who explain what the job is like, and others by pilots who film their cross-country trips and airplane restorations.
Whether you’re looking for education, entertainment, or inspiration, there are many exceptional aviation YouTube channels.
Pilots have been shooting tons of beautiful aerial footage up there, and many of them want to share it with you.
Some of the best content comes from CFIs and flight schools, but there are also many pilots—from GA private pilots to commercial airline pilots—sharing what they see up there and what their lives are like. Here are some of the best producers of aviation video content.
7 Aviation YouTube Channels Student Pilots Should Watch
Student pilots can find checkride tips, landing advice and aviation inspiration on YouTube. This list picks the top seven YouTube channels for flight training from the large amount of aviation content available.
Maybe you’re looking to kill some time, or maybe you’re looking for some hot tips to help you grease your next landing or pass your checkride.
YouTube is absolutely loaded with aviation content, so we’ve sorted through it to find you the top seven best YouTube channels for flight training.
Thrust Flight (@ThrustFlight)
Thrust Flight's YouTube channel (@ThrustFlight) answers flight training questions from a team of experienced CFIs. Videos range from a day in the life of a full-time flight student to maneuver how-tos, plus 'Pilots Say What?' podcast clips.
Alright, I may be a little biased here but our channel was created to help people in flight training.
Ever just want to sit and chat with your flight instructors, to pick their brains about the questions that bother you most?
Our channel is about giving great, knowledgeable answers to your burning questions.
From what it’s like as a day in the life of a full-time flight student to maneuvering how-tos that will help you in the cockpit, Thrust Flight’s team of experienced CFIs will help you learn what you need to know.
The ‘Pilots Say What?’ series features clips from Thrust Flight’s aviation podcast.
Angle of Attack (@angleofattack)
Angle of Attack is an online ground school provider out of Homer, Alaska, run by Chris Palmer. They offer a free ‘Total Student Pilot’ ground school program worth checking out.
Their YouTube channel contains clips and shorts that will inspire and teach you. Many videos follow the progress of real students learning the basics like landings. There are also special feature episodes, like watching Palmer get his hands on a P-51 Mustang.
One of the great things about flying along with Palmer is that you can learn right along with his students, seeing their improvement and picking up tips you’d never get otherwise.
The videos are entertaining and beautiful, with exterior and cockpit shots sewn together with the gorgeous Alaskan scenery passing through the windows. Videos are in 4K, with some in 360 and VR.
The Finer Points (@TheFinerPoints)
The Finer Points is a YouTube channel by Jason Miller, a San Francisco Bay Area flight instructor with more than 20 years of teaching experience. Miller was selected as a regional CFI of the year and started his podcast in 2005.
Jason Miller is a flight instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area with more than 20 years of teaching experience.
His videos offer everything from tips and tricks to get you through training to accident reactions, inspirational fly-along videos, and lectures based on his point of view as a long-time instructor.
Miller stands out for his love of teaching and his easy-to-understand style.
His videos are great to watch, and his talent for sharing his experiences is unmatched. Miller is a contributor to Flying Magazine, an instructor for AOPA’s Air Safety Institute, and was selected as a regional CFI of the year.
He began The Finer Points Aviation Podcast back in 2005 and now publishes more on YouTube.
Captain Joe (@flywithcaptainjoe)
Captain Joe is an airline pilot based in Europe whose YouTube channel has over 1.68 million subscribers. His videos explain flight operations, show take-offs and landings in different aircraft and describe life as an airline pilot.
With over 1.68 million subscribers, Captain Joe shares his extensive knowledge and passion for aviation through a variety of engaging and educational videos.
His content ranges from in-depth explanations of flight operations, such as how pilots determine which heading to fly, to practical tutorials on performing take-offs and landings in different aircraft.
Additionally, he shares experiences from his life as an airline pilot and gives insight into what it’s like to work as an airline pilot based in Europe.
Whether you’re a seasoned aviator or just curious about the world of flying, Captain Joe’s channel offers valuable insights and captivating content.
Aviation 101 Productions (@Aviation101)
Aviation 101 Productions is the YouTube channel of Josh Flowers, a pilot and filmmaker. The channel focuses on aviation inspiration, with coast-to-coast cross-country flights to places like The Bahamas, Alaska, Sedona and New York City.
Josh Flowers is a pilot and filmmaker—so you know immediately that his YouTube channel rocks.
His channel is less about flight training and more about being inspired by aviation and the beautiful places that it can take you.
Follow along on coast-to-coast cross-countries as he visits places like The Bahamas and Alaska, rural mountain airports and wineries, and must-see destinations like Sedona and New York City.
Stevie Triesenberg (@bayflight)
Stevie Triesenberg (@bayflight) is a software engineer and pilot who flies cross-country and renovates a 1952 V-tail Bonanza and a 1949 Cessna 140A. Her videos show VFR and IFR flights with ATC audio.
Follow Stevie, a software engineer and pilot, as she flies cross-country and renovates her 1952 V-tail Bonanza and her 1949 Cessna 140A.
Stevie’s videos are inspirational as she travels in small, vintage planes, flying VFR and IFR to beautiful locations. Listen along with ATC, watch out the window, and experience what it’s like to travel as a GA pilot.
My Layover Life (@mylayoverlife)
My Layover Life is a YouTube channel from Paul, a working airline pilot at the majors. He covers family travel using his travel privileges and answers questions about schedule bidding and commuting.
Paul flies airplanes for a living. As a working airline pilot, he gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s really like to work for the majors.
Many of his episodes are about traveling with his family and the amazing adventures they go on using his travel privileges—one of the reasons many of us get into aviation.
But he also answers many questions about the day-to-day life of an airline pilot, like how they bid for their monthly schedules and what it’s like to commute to work from across the country.
