The best aviation movies of all time
The top 3 according to 109 votes from people: Top Gun: Maverick (2022) · Airplane! (1980) · Top Gun (1986). (Updated Sep 13, 2026.)
From Wings to Top Gun: Maverick: the flying films pilots and critics rank highest (GE Aerospace, Aviator Insider, AeroCorner).
Top 12
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1
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Actors in real Navy Super Hornets, and about 1.5 billion dollars at the box office.
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2
Airplane! (1980)
The funniest aviation movie ever made.
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3
Top Gun (1986)
Maverick, Goose and the volleyball scene.
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4
United 93 (2006)
Paul Greengrass recreates the 9/11 flight in real time.
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5
Sully (2016)
Tom Hanks and the landing on the Hudson.
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6
The Right Stuff (1983)
The Mercury 7 and test pilot Chuck Yeager.
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7
Flight (2012)
Denzel Washington and a miracle landing with questions.
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8
Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
Gregory Peck and the pressure on a WWII bomber group.
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9
Society of the Snow (2023)
J. A. Bayona and the 1972 Andes crash.
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10
The Aviator (2004)
Howard Hughes, from Hell's Angels to the Spruce Goose.
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11
Wings (1927)
The first Best Picture winner, with WWI dogfights.
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12
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
Desert crash survivors build a plane from the wreck.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (3)
Top Gun: Maverick in a real cinema was one of the best experiences of my life.
Airplane! is the funniest movie ever made, aviation or not.
Society of the Snow destroyed me, Bayona handled it with so much respect.