Harrison Ford has been working as an actor for the better part of six decades. But outside his career playing other characters, Ford has a huge personal interest in aviation—so much so that he wants to see a change in the field going forward.
The Indiana Jones star spoke to GQ about his recent work and other passions, including aviation as a whole. When it comes to flying planes, Ford doesn't think of it as a scary, complicated thing to learn.
"Oh, anyone can [fly a plane]. We could teach monkeys to fly airplanes, and have," he stated plainly. "I think yes, anyone can fly a modern airplane. Yes. But why? The question is not if someone could fly, the question is why do they want to fly?"
Ford went on to speak about the need for pilots in the U.S. in general.
"It’s a great job and it’s become a field where there’s a great demand for pilots ," he said. "We’ve been talking about the failure to train American pilots. America trains more foreign pilots than they do American pilots. I’m not being xenophobic here. It’s not about having to fly with American pilots. It’s just that we’ve known for a long time that we needed to train more pilots, and we have done that successfully now."
"Pilots are making a wonderful living when, 15 years ago, they weren’t doing so well at the beginning of their careers," he added. "But it’s a great career, and I just encourage people that are interested in it to give it a go."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration , pilot's licenses differ depending on the type of aircraft you fly, whether it be airplanes, gyroplanes, helicopters, gliders, balloons, or airships. You don't even need a pilot's license if you're interested in flying ultralight aircraft.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for airline and commercial pilots in 2023 was approximately $171,210 per year. But getting there is no easy task.
The first step to becoming a commercial pilot is to earn a private pilot certificate issued by the FAA. After that, you have to earn an instrument rating, followed by a commercial pilot certificate. Once the commercial pilot requirements are out of the way, your next step is to get a flight instructor certificate; after that, in order to fly large passenger airliners, you must get a multi-engine rating for your commercial pilot certificate. Once you complete a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time, you'll get your airline transport pilot certificate, and you're ready for a job at a major airline. The process typically takes two to three years.
Ford's dedication to pilots and aviation dates back decades. He serves as an honorary board member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope and has traveled to Washington, D.C. several times over the years to advocate for pilots' rights. He's appeared in various aviation documentaries and has donated money to The Bob Hoover Academy, which teaches at-risk California teens how to fly. He even has an impressive aircraft collection of his own .
The second season of Ford's show Shrinking premieres Oct. 16 on Apple TV+. His next movies are as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts , due out in 2025.
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