The Aviator is a 2004 movie biography of aircraft industry mogul Howard Hughes, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. The term is normally applied to pilots but it can be applied more broadly, for example to include people such as wing-walkers who regularly take part in an aerobatic display sequence. The term aviatrix is sometimes used of women flyers, reflecting the word's Latin root.

The term was more commonly used in the early days of aviation and has connotations of bravery and adventure. As Steve Fossett has shown with his 2002 solo flight around the globe in a helium balloon, then his nonstop solo jet circumnavigation that completed on March 3, 2005, there are still challenges to be flown and records to be broken.

Anyone can fly an aircraft, with or without a certificate. However, at all times the aircraft must be under the operational control of a properly certified and current pilot, who is responsible for the safe and legal completion of the flight. The absolute authority given to the Pilot in Command is derived from that of a ship’s captain.

Although U.S. President Wilson proposed a licensing scheme in 1919, it was not until 1926, under the Air Commerce Act, that the Federal Government instituted pilot testing and certification. Today, every country has a national authority governing pilot licensing (see the article for information on license requirements). The Federal Aviation Administration controls the issuance of pilot certificates in the U.S. The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority controls the issuance of civilian pilot licenses/certificates in the U.K.

Well-known aviators

People largely known for their contributions to the story of aviation:

Other famous military pilots:

• Douglas Bader
• Billy Bishop
• A. Roy Brown
• Pierre Clostermann
• Roland Garros
• Edward O'Hare
• Manfred von Richthofen
• Eddie Rickenbacker
• Hans-Ulrich Rudel

People from other walks of life with aviation in their history:

• Richard Branson
• John Denver
• Harrison Ford
• Howard Hughes
• John F. Kennedy, Jr.
• Dean Paul Martin
• Dennis Quaid
• Charles Stewart Rolls
• Nevil Shute
• John Travolta
• Gore Vidal

See also

• List of aerospace engineers
• List of U.S. Air Mail pioneers