You’ll Want to Watch These 7 Flight Videos Again and Again

Commercial air travel is incredibly safe. According to data from the IATA, 2022 was one of the safest years on record for aviation, with just five fatal accidents worldwide causing below-average injury and loss of life.

The private, chartered, and military aviation sectors are all a bit riskier than commercial aviation, despite rigorous pilot training requirements in most parts of the world. Takeoff and landing are particularly dangerous, especially when weather conditions are less than ideal.

And that makes for plenty of close calls, along with a far greater number of perfectly ordinary experiences. If you’re looking for a sense of what can go wrong — and right — in the wide world of aviation, you’ve come to the right place. Here are seven amazing flight videos for your enjoyment.

1. “Runway Approach and Landing”

Here’s a tame one to start you off, courtesy of pilot Sky Dayton’s YouTube channel. Think of this as a textbook example of “everything going right” on approach.

As you can see from the video, Dayton listens carefully to his instructor’s feedback and takes his time positioning the plane on approach. The landing is smooth, controlled, and almost bump-free. It’s the sort of experience every commercial passenger hopes for.

2. “Getting My Instrument Rating from Start to Finish”

Want to know what it’s like to get your instrument rating as an amateur pilot? There’s a lot of work involved, and this MojoGrip video showcases the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Fortunately, it has a happy ending.

4. “Airbus A340 Takeoff From Ice Runway in Antarctica”

If simply reading the title of this video gives you heartburn, maybe look away from this one.

Or maybe don’t! It’s a pretty amazing look at one of the most extreme aircraft maneuvers any pilot can ever be expected to undertake. And it has to happen every so often to keep remote scientific research stations running at the very bottom of the world.

5. “51 Knot Cross Wind at Fix”

Yeesh! Many of us know what it feels like to land in a brisk cross wind, but 51 knots is beyond normal. In fact, at that wind speed — more than 60 miles per hour — most airports would be at a ground stop or would have activated their auxiliary runway.

This guy landed anyway. If nothing else, his experience might make you feel better about all the white-knuckle landings you’ve endured over the years.

6. “Top 100 Best Aircraft Takeoffs and Landings”

Now for a roundup of the best aircraft takeoffs and landings ever. Well, according to this video at least. 

There’s a lot to enjoy here, for sure, from absolutely harrowing ascents through stiff winds to nighttime landings that seem like they should be impossible.

The standard “don’t try this at home” disclaimer applies to some of these. And to the 51-knot landing above, come to think of it. Maybe to the ice runway situation too. Hey, flying isn’t for the faint of heart.

7. “75 Most Amazing Aviation Moments Ever Caught on Camera”

Let’s end with an astounding compilation of some truly mind-bending aviation moments. Some of these were caught by ground-based cameras, heightening the sense of the unexpected. They’re at once inspiring and sobering, a reminder that even the best pilots often find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

Ready to Take the Controls?

If these seven videos have you eager for more aviation content, maybe it’s time to take a flying lesson or two and see how you feel behind the controls yourself.

Or maybe watch a few more videos first. Just don’t climb into the cockpit on your own — that’s a recipe for a rough landing.