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The Aviator is a 2004 movie.

Aviator is also a 1983 computer game by Geoff Crammond.

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.

Contents 1 Civilian 2 Military 3 Well-known aviators 3.1 People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation: 3.2 Other famous military pilots: 3.3 People from other walks of life with aviation in their history: 4 See also

Civilian

Civilian pilots fly privately for pleasure, charity, or in pursuance of a business, for non-scheduled commercial air transport companies, or for airlines, with no defense obligations. When flying for an airline, the pilots are usually refered to as airline pilots.

Military

Military pilots fly under government contract for the defense and support of public entities. Their tasks involve combat and non-combat operations, including direct hostile engagements and support flights. Military pilots undergo specialized training, often with weapons operation and defensive maneuvering. Many military pilots also have civilian pilot occupations.

Well-known aviators

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

While all of these people were pilots, many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation, or popularization.

John Alcock Richard Bach Italo Balbo Bernt Balchen Elly Beinhorn Louis Bleriot John Nicolaas Block Bill Boeing Arthur Whitten Brown Milo Burcham Henri Buttress George Cayley Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi Henri Coanda Bessie Coleman Glenn Curtiss Jimmy Doolittle Claudius Dornier Donald Douglas Amelia Earhart Eugene Ely Anthony Fokker

Steve Fossett Ernie Gann Geoffrey de Havilland Ernst Heinkel Bert Hinkler Elrey Jeppesen Amy Johnson Tex Johnston Hubert Julian Hugo Junkers Charles Kingsford Smith Otto Lilienthal Charles Lindbergh Ormer Locklear Paul Mantz Beryl Markham Wop May Mike Melvill Jean Mermoz Russel Merrill

Billy Mitchell Montgolfier Brothers Richard Pearse Albert Plesman Wiley Post Hanna Reitsch Margaret Ringenberg Burt Rutan Dick Rutan Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Alberto Santos-Dumont Igor Sikorsky Kurt Tank Louise Thaden Traian Vuia Patty Wagstaff Frank Whittle Orville and Wilbur Wright Chuck Yeager

Other famous military pilots:

• Douglas Bader
• Billy Bishop
• Pappy Boyington
• A. Roy Brown
• Pierre Clostermann
• Joe Foss
• Roland Garros
• Roy Geiger
• Edward O'Hare
• Manfred von Richthofen
• Eddie Rickenbacker
• Hans-Ulrich Rudel
• Fred Zinn
• Erich Hartmann

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

• Richard Branson
• George H. W. Bush
• George W. Bush
• Angelo Ford
• Tom Cruise
• John Denver
• Bruce Dickinson
• Morgan Freeman
• Harrison Ford
• Howard Hughes
• John F. Kennedy, Jr.
• John Kerry
• Dean Paul Martin
• Paul Moyer
• Susan Oliver
• Dennis Quaid
• Charles Stewart Rolls
• Chuck Scarborough
• Nevil Shute
• John Travolta
• Gore Vidal

See also

• List of aerospace engineers
• List of U.S. Air Mail pioneers
• Pilot licensing and certification

This article is based on the article "Pilots" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.