Every season of The Aviators ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of The Aviators!

AirVenture: America's largest aviation celebration, The US Air Force's C5M Supergalaxy, The Tiger Moth bi-plane, Miracle on the Hudson hero Jeff Skiles, Flat spin survivor.

One of the biggest airshows on Earth

Chartright corporate charters, Cross Canada Century Flight, Julie Clark, Affordable Helicopters.

Newest and coolest affordable helicopters

Legacy of the Cessna brand, Float plane training, How to land an airliner, Aerobatic champion Patty Wagstaff, Russian MiG 15.

How to land an Airliner

Sun 'n Fun fly-in special from Lakeland, FL.

Sun N' Fun Florida

Can a private pilot land an airliner?, Delfin L-29 fighter jet, Aircraft annual inspection, Airbus A380.

The Airbus A380

Can a non-pilot land an airliner?, Zaon collision avoidance, Women in Aviation, Light sport aviation.

Light-Sport Aviation

Air Traffic Control Tower, Walkaround checks, Quesnel air show, Pilot profile: John Lovelace.

Air Traffic Control Towers

Aerobatic pilot Rick Volker, Homebuilt industry, Cessna Caravan, Mid-Continent instruments.

Building Your Own Aircraft & Learning About Life Saving Backup Instruments

Air Traffic Control: En route control, Boundary Bay air show, Beech Staggerwing, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

Air Traffic Control Centre

Aircraft auction, Ultralight flying, Aviation destination: Wichita, Kansas.

Ultra-Light Aviation & Airfract Auctions

Mikey McBryan of TV's 'Ice Pilots', Goodyear blimp, Midnight Sun Challenge into the Yukon.

Onboard the Goodyear Blimp

A day in the life of an airline pilot, Airline environmentalism, Airliner maintenance.

Life of a Boeing 737 Pilot & All About Airlines

Cross-border flying, Boreal forest, Flying a Cessna around the world, Splash-in: Float plane fly-in.

Cross-Border Flying

Aviation 101: An explanation of some of the very basics of aviation.

Host profiles: A closer look at some of the hosts of The Aviators including Sara, Kurtis, Anthony, and new host, country music singer George Canyon.

Aviation 101

ATC gibberish: Breaking down and simplifying all that complex sounding radio chatter. 

Water egress: Sara learns how to escape from a submerged aircraft.

Condor Squadron: Taking to the air with a team of formation pilots flying WW2 era planes.

ATC Gibberish

Can a kid land an airliner?: A follow up to some of the popular sim segments from season one, but this time with a 12 year old at the controls!

Flight services: Kurtis shows us the many important functions of this often overlooked aspect of Air Traffic Control services.

$100 hamburger: A pilot expression for an aviation food-run. Anthony and Raeleen dig in at Greenville, SC.

$100 Hamburger

Private pilot emergency: Anthony closes the season 2 sim segments by having everything but the kitchen sink thrown at him. Can he do it?

MCAS Miramar (formerly Top Gun): Spending the day with US Marine fighter pilots at their legendary base.

Private Pilot / Miramar

Day in the life of an air show (Part 1 of 2): We take you behind the scenes for an exclusive look at the inner workings of one of America’s biggest air shows.

Day in the Life of an Air Show, Pt. 1

Day in the life of an air show (Part 2 of 2): We take you behind the scenes for an exclusive look at the inner workings of one of America’s biggest air shows.

Day in the Life of an Air Show, Pt. 2

Antonov AN-2: We take you flying in this classic Russian workhorse.

iPad in the cockpit: Anthony gets hands-on with the revolutionary tablet device to show some of the most popular aviation tools available.

Boeing Dreamliner/Pilot Shortage: A look at the future of commercial aviation…but who will be there to fly these things?

Aopa Summit

Triple Tree Aerodrome: A look at one of the most meticulously maintained grass runways anywhere at what we discovered to be a pure haven for lovers of aviation and the outdoors. 

Blue Angels’ Fat Albert: All aboard Fat Albert Airlines, the Blue Angels’ incredible USMC C130T.

Yak 52W: Sara meets Peyton McCool and literally takes a spin in his Soviet-era trainer.

Remote Control Aircraft

Dream flight of a lifetime: Twenty pilots attend a T33 Silverstar ground school but only one will win a chance to actually fly it. 

Aeroshell Aerobatic Team: Raeleen goes flying with these rock stars of the air show circuit.

Remote control aircraft: We visit the Joe Nall event, the “Oshkosh” of RC flying.

Dream Flight / Joe Nall / Aeroshell Aerobatic

Aircraft ownership: Kurtis exploring the varied costs and entry points of flying for everyone from the weekend warrior to the rich and famous.

Airpark living: When your driveway is a runway, life is good… and as airparks go, this place is Heavenly!

Singles vs Twins: Are two engines really better than one?

Aircraft Ownership

Aircraft engines: Kurtis learns about aircraft power plants from Penn Yan Aero’s Bill Middlebrook, whose family has a long and rich history in American aviation.

Buying a used aircraft: Anthony shows that buying The Aviators’ new 210 can be just as simple as buying a used car. And accessorizing it can be just as fun.

Most female friendly airport: Raeleen celebrates women in aviation at the most female friendly airport in the world.

Aircraft Engines

AOPA Summit: The annual event of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

LAPD: We take you inside the aerial unit of the Los Angeles Police Department to see how the world’s largest police fleet helps to catch bad guys.

Red Bull Air Racer Pete McLeod: Jeff talks to the Red Bull Air Racer about life as a high-adrenalin, competitive flyer.

AOPA / LAPD / Pete McLeod

Cessna 195: Kurtis takes us up in the aircraft that’s a crowd favorite wherever it he takes it.

Aviation Camping: We spend some time with an ever-growing group of people who use their planes as campers.

World’s Busiest Tower: For one week a year the tower at Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport becomes the busiest on the planet.

Cessna 195 / World's Busiest Tower / Aviation Camping

Rob Reider, Air show announcer; Aircraft panel makeover; WWII pilot training: T-6 Texan

WWII Pilot Training T-6 Texan

Journey of a bag, Airline baggage handling; WWII pilot training: P-51 Mustang

WWII Pilot Training P-51 Mustang

Winter flying; Boeing 787 Dreamliner; Black Diamond Jet Team - Civilian jet demonstration team

Black Diamond Jet Team

Night time flying; Fairchild PT-19; United States Air Force Thunderbirds

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Guardian angels - ATC helps our pilots out of an emergency situation; USAF Thunderbird for a day; B-29 Superfortress - Fifi

B-29 Fifi

Oxygen deprivation lab; Anatomy of a commercial flight - Behind the cockpit door

Anatomy of a Commercial Flight

T-28 Trojan; Naval commemoration of the War of 1812; Very Light Jets (VLJs)

Very Light Jets

DC-3 turbo conversions; Aviation careers - You can become more than just an airline pilot

Aviation Career Choices

Start-up and run-up - Before-flying to-do's; Weather makers; Aerostars Aerobatic Team

Aerostars

John Mohr, Barnstormer; T-45 Goshawk; Balloons

Hot Air Balloons

TH-57 Ranger; Mitsubishi MU-2; Road America flyover - The Air National Guard adds a real punch to the end of the anthem

Road America Fly Over

F-22 Raptor; Light Sport Aircraft (LSA); Learning to fly - Rock star edition (Part 1) - Vince Neil of iconic heavy metal band Motley Crue begins his flight training

Learning to Fly: Rock Star Edition

Learning to fly - Rock star edition (Part 2) - Vince's instructor surprises him by unexpectedly calling for his first landing; Civilian aerial dogfighting; Skytypers

Skytypers

FLS Microjet: This spunky little jet weighs in at a mere 400 pounds! We profile this incredible (and tiny) aircraft and its full-sized pilot.

SR-71: Blackbird pilot Terry Pappas tells us what its like to be one of just 478 people who have flown this stealthy Strategic Reconnaissance aircraft.

Sean D. Tucker: We get to know the man behind the famous red Oracle plane and watch his death-defying aerobatics up close.

FLS Microjet, SR-71, Sean D. Tucker

Zenith 801: No runway? No problem! We challenge the limits faced in the world of bush flying in this amazing utilitarian aircraft.

Legacy Flight: A tribute to our flying heroes, past and present.

ILS Testing: The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is a precise system used to help planes land almost blind. We do some extreme flying in a CRJ-200 to test the system.

Zenith 801, Legacy Flight, ILS Testing

Float Planes: An introduction to the world of seaplanes.

Buying an Aircraft: Ever wondered how to actually buy an airplane?

Aircraft Boneyard: With over 4,200 aircraft, sure the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) is a “Boneyard” but it’s also so much more.

Float Planes, Buying an Aircraft, Aircraft Boneyard

Civil Air Patrol: We participate in a search and rescue exercise with CAP members and cadets.

AWACS: We take an exclusive inside look at the Air Force’s eyes in the skies: the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) E-3 Sentry.

B-17: Kurtis looks at the historic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Civil Air Patrol, AWACS, B-17

Radial Engines: Anthony learns about the one-of a-kind sound and look of radial engines.

Aerial Refueling: In-air refueling brings new meaning to the term “close flight” as we profile the KC-135 Stratotanker and its crew.

Radial Engines, Aerial Refueling

Cobra: We take you aboard this two-bladed single engine attack helicopter formerly used by the United States Army.

Team AeroDynamix: No other air show act in the world puts as many aircraft in the air at one time than Team AeroDynamix. We take you flying with them.

Tank Killer: We profile the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the tank-killer more commonly known as the Warthog.

Cobra, Team AeroDynamix, Tank Killer

Landings: Takeoffs are optional, but landings are mandatory! Kurtis takes a look at how to land different types of aircraft.

Seabee: Is it a boat or is it a plane? It’s both! We show you the exciting world of Seabees.

Varied Aviation Training: Short or long runways. Controlled or uncontrolled airports. Desert, mountain, or coastal flying. We look at the various ways and places you can learn to fly.

Landings, Seabee, Varied Aviation Training

GlasAir: We go flying in this blazingly fast low-wing, two-seat homebuilt aircraft.

Legend Cub: The Cub is an aviators’ favorite and the Legend Cub is today’s most popular American-manufactured light sport aircraft.

Terminals: How are airport terminals designed? We check out the form and function of terminals from the design of the arrivals and departures areas to how the gates arranged to park aircraft.

GlasAir, Legend Cub, Terminals

Savannah: We profile this capable and affordable light sport homebuilt aircraft.

Huey: A lot of people may recognize this helicopter from the film “Apocalypse Now”, but this bird has a lot more history than just that.

Formation Flying: Kurtis expands his warbird flying experience and tries his hand at formation flying.

Savannah, Huey, Formation Flying

How to Fly an ILS Approach: Kurtis shows you how to land an aircraft when you can’t see the ground using only your flight instruments.

Airplane Parachutes: Can a parachute strapped to the back of an aircraft really save the lives of it passengers?

777-300ER: We examine the history and showcase the latest variant of the Boeing 777.

How to Fly an ILS Approach, Airplane Parachutes, 777-300ER

Aircraft Mods: A look at how aerodynamic tweaks can improve performance and increase speed.

Soaring: Anthony tries to keep his cool while flying without the reassuring sound of a roaring engine.

Aircraft Mods, Soaring

F-4U Corsair: The WWII fighter made famous by the legendary Greg “Pappy” Boyington.

Aerobatics: Kurtis receives an introduction to Aerobatics. We’ve seen him do a lot this season, but can he master this aviation skill?

F-4U Corsair, Aerobatics

Goodyear Blimp: The Goodyear Blimp is an American icon. But Goodyear is at a transformational point in their history as they revamp the fleet to Zeppelins.

Goodyear Blimp

Highlights from previous seasons and bloopers.

The Best Of The Aviators

Sean D. Tucker's air show routine and an introduction to the job of a flight attendant.

Deconstructing An Air Show Routine, Flight Attendant School (Part 1)

Flight safety senerios and a favorite fighter aircraft debate.

Flight Attendant School (Part 2), Hangar Flying – Fighters

Jetman and aircraft volunteer organizations.

Jet Man, Volunteerism

WWII Advancements in Aviation and Peral Harbor air show reenactment.

World War II Advancements In Aviation, Pearl Harbor / Tora, Tora, Tora

Air show pyrotechnics and favorite bomber plane debate.

Air Show Pyrotechnics, Hangar Flying – Bombers

A look at commercial aviation over 100 years.

100 Years Of Commercial Flight

Epic Aircraft, Jet Truck

Aircraft Tires, World’s Highest Control Tower, Maintenance

Air Show Radio Chatter, Hangar Flying – General Aviation

Challenger 605, Navigation

Bell 407 Helicopter, Wing-Walking

Building Engines, Air Tractor

A Pilot Without Arms: We meet Jessica Cox, the world’s first armless licensed pilot who has spent her whole life proving that her disability hasn’t limited her.  Aircraft Profile – Pitts Special: A profile of the first aircraft designed specifically for aerobatics – the Pitts Special.

A pilot without arms, Aircraft profile – Pitts Special

L-39 and Upset Recovery: Does it sometimes feel like your airplane has a mind of its own? Well fasten your seatbelts as we go flying in the most prolific fighter jet trainer of the Soviet era in an introduction to unusual attitude and upset recovery training.

L-39 and Upset recovery

Flying Again: We catch up with the Rusty Pilots Initiative as they attempt to re-ignite every pilot’s fire by helping former flyers in their return to the sky.  Aircraft Profile – Aviat Husky: Meet the proud owner of the dynamic Aviat Husky utility aircraft.

Flying again, Aircraft profile – Aviat Husky

Space Flight: A look at the history of NASA and the space program through the decades spanning from WWII through to the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs. Category Entertainment

Space flight

Anatomy of a Journey / Ground Control: Learn about the complexities of life as a ground controller and listen in on some dialogue between air traffic control and Kurtis as he navigates through both the departure and arrival procedures within an airport. Complicated? Let’s find out!

Anatomy of a journey, Ground control

WWI Aviation: Soon after the invention of the aircraft, military uses for the new flying machine came into being. Then with the dawn of the Great War, legends like the Red Baron were made, and a whole new mode of warfare was born.

WWI aviation

Aircraft Profile – Eclipse 550: Introduction to the latest in very light jets (VLJs). It’s like flying your own personal rocket… with custom leather upholstery!  Should You Turn Back to the Airport?: In the event of engine failure, your instinct may be to turn back for the runway – a commonly fatal move.

Eclipse 550, Should you turn back to the airport?

It’s the Franken-Glider! / Tuskegee Airmen: The TG-7A motorgliders are basically a combination of wings from the SGS 1-36, the tail of the SGS 2-32, and a Lycoming O-235-L2C engine on the nose. See it all come together as we meet the Team Tuskegee pilots and explain the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and their trials experienced during WWII.

It’s the Franken-glider, Tuskegee airmen

Skytyping: What is skytyping? See it accomplished with five aircraft flying in impressive formation, emitting biodegradable vapor puffs in a dot matrix pattern to create the world’s largest billboard… in the sky.  Personal Jet: The Sonex Jet started as a pet project of founder John Monett who’s always wanted a personal jet, and what developed was a tiny plane with a big impact!

Skytyping, Personal jet

The Beloved Cub: By popular demand we’ve tracked down the family of aircraft closest to the hearts of most aviators – the timeless Piper Cub.

The beloved Cub

We visit Canada’s largest airport to look at the technology that drives air navigation systems. Then we look at one of the most affordable ways to own and enjoy an aircraft – ultralights!

Air Navigation Systems, Ultralights

Part thrilling, part insanity, paragliding is one way aviation nuts get into the open air using a contraption that fits in the back of your car. Then we look into the science of applied aerodynamics.

Paragliding, Applied Aerodynamics

Air Rally 1 – We accompany dozens of aircraft and pilots as they island hop in the Caribbean during this 2 week aviation odyssey.

Air Rally 1

Air Rally 2 – The Air Rally continues as the group is met as heroes country after country. That is, the ones who actually make it!

Air Rally 2

We visit the world’s most famous aviation university to explore it’s storied history, many milestones, and future developments which include (get ready for it) flying cars! Then we look at arguably the most versatile little aircraft ever made – the Pipistrel Sinus.

Pipistrel Sinus

Anthony flies a simulated Cessna directly into a thunderstorm which would be certain death in real life, but not until he flies a full-motion airliner sim into one – so violent even in a sim that we may have even broken the $20 million unit!

Thunderstorm

The Aviators is an award-winning weekly documentary-lifestyle-science TV series featuring interesting people, the latest aircraft, current technology and fly-in destinations. The show's site describes subject matter as follows: "We will take you behind the scenes to show you how airline pilots train, how planes are built, and how ATC works. We will profile aviation businesses and showcase aviation products. We will provide safety tips for private and recreational pilots and career tips for professional pilots."

The Aviators premiered on the Global Television Network on Saturday, September 4, 2010. It could also be seen on CHEK-TV in Canada and is distributed to all 356 Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States for broadcast in numerous markets starting in September 2010. On September 1, 2010 the producers announced that a deal had been signed with Discovery Channel Asia that saw the series broadcast overseas in the spring of 2011.

In the first six months after its premiere, the show aired almost 8,000 times across North America - an average of over 40 times a day. The Aviators launched on Hulu in February 2011 and was viewed over 32,000 times in just two weeks. In March 2011 producers announced some changes for season two including the addition of country music singer George Canyon to the cast as a guest host for the season. The current season's premiere date is September 16, 2013. Production for a fifth season has begun, and is planned to air in North America in September 2014.

The Best Seasons of The Aviators

The Best Seasons of The Aviators

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7