The Best Aviation YouTube Channels for Pilots and Student Pilots

YouTube is one of the best free resources for student pilots and private pilots. The right channels show you how experienced pilots plan, think and fly, and they help you stay sharp between flights. Below are the aviation YouTube channels we recommend, from general aviation adventures to airline-level safety analysis.

Our Favorite Aviation YouTube Channels

1. Steveo1Kinevo

The first YouTube channel in this series is, without doubt, my favorite one: Steveo1Kinevo. Probably since the guy behind this channel has the best lifestyle I could possibly wish for.

Steveo is an awesome guy and excellent pilot, who’s living the dream flying a Socata TBM-850 and Cessna Caravans around North America and the Bahamas. In his flight VLOG’s he’s sharing everything from his experience with flying Victoria Secret models to how he became a commercial pilot, from showcasing his awesome electric Booster Board skateboard he takes with him everywhere he goes, to flying single-pilot IFR approaches in the mountains. His videos make for great entertainment and you’ll learn a lot by just looking at him flying his gorgeous TBM-850 and Cessna Caravan.

Experienced pilot or not, everyone can benefit from watching his flight VLOG’s. IFR flights can be tricky, especially if you’re flying single-pilot in a turboprop aircraft and in bad weather, which increases the pilot’s workload significantly. Watching him doing this will teach you a lot about the different procedures, how he handles it single-pilot and in the mean time explains his viewers step by step what he’s doing and why.

His Bahamas videos make you want to buy a one-way ticket on the first flight to the islands. With gorgeous sceneries, awesome private landing strips, beautiful beaches and stunning approaches, this makes for some great videos.

Also interesting can be his pilot gear reviews. Steveo’s videos are sponsored by some big brands like ForeFlight and Bose, and he regularly tests and reviews some of their gear. Once he tested it, he gives it away to one of his Patreon supporters. On Patreon, you can become a patron and support his videos by donating a specific amount per video he produces, so he can buy new cameras and other gear for his videos. As a patron, you can take part in Steveo’s giveaways and win some awesome gear like headsets, flight simulator setups and more.

Trust me, once you start following the guy, you’ll eagerly be waiting for every video he posts! The lifestyle he has as a commercial pilot is stuff dreams are made of, for me anyway.

These are some of my favorite videos by Steveo:

“Join me on this beautiful VFR Flight in the mountains of TN in the TBM850.”

“If aviation is your passion you will not regret following your dreams of becoming a pilot. Whether its becoming a private pilot or getting your Airline Transport License we all share something that is truly amazing. Here is a look at what my journey has been over the years of my life as a pilot so far.”

“Join me on this flight from Fernandina Beach, FL to Miami, FL. When you fly professionally and the boss wants to go somewhere you need to know what you’re doing and no one else is there to help you…and he may ask you to go anywhere in the world! I will show you a typical flight of how I do things. ”

… and of course all his other videos.

You can follow Steveo1Kinevo on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, and as I already mentioned, you can also support Steveo’s videos on his Patreon page.

What are your favorite aviation YouTube channels? Let us know in the comments!

2. FlightChops

In the first article of this series, we featured one of my favorite YouTube channels ever: Steveo1Kinevo. In this month’s YouTube channel of the month, we’ll feature another ons of my favorite Youtube channels: FlightChops!

While Steveo of Steveo1Kinevo is a commercial pilot flying TBMs and Caravans for a living, FlightChops’ Steve is just a private pilot who shares his experiences, adventures and lessons. From learning to fly warbirds like the Boeing Stearman, to IFR flying lessons and taking a Supercub for some backcountry flying in Canada, Steve’s Youtube channel has it all.

You can join Steve and his crew (yes he has a whole crew to produce his videos!) on big events like EAA’s Oshkosh where he takes a front-seat ride in the US Coast Guard’s Dolphin helicopter, or you can watch him flying a glider in the mountains at 10.500 feet. He produces some great content for every kind of pilot! And you can’t imagine the kind of experiences he gets the opportunity to have!

Not only are his videos incredibly awesome and making you want to go out flying, they are also very interesting and educational. Steve uses his channel to become a better pilot by constantly learning new things and improving his skills as a private pilot, making them self-analyses that are both fun and educational. Just virtually going along his flights will teach you a lot about become the best pilot you can.

Steve also holds the Greatest monthly aviation contest on his website, giving away monthly prizes totaling over $4000! You can win ForeFlight subscriptions, Bose earphones, iPad cockpit mounts, DVD’s, courses and even complete flying adventure trips! Everyone can enter and there are multiple winners every month.

If you’re wondering where the name FlightChops comes from, just take a look at some of his videos, it won’t be hard to find out!

Steve joins helicopter pilot and awesome dude Bradley Friesen in Canada. “Canada’s craziest chopper pilot may not be so crazy after all!”

“You only get one shot to land a glider. Great tips to make it count!”

“It’s a whole new experience landing when your forward view is totally obstructed!”

“Watching the pitch change while deploying full flaps was amazing!”

So, if you’re a private pilot, a student pilot or just someone looking for some great new flying videos to watch, you definitely have to subscribe to the FlightChops Youtube channel!

You can follow FlightChops on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, and you can also support his videos on his Patreon page.

What are your favorite aviation YouTube channels? Let us know in the comments!

3. MzeroA Flight Training

In the first two articles of this series, we featured Youtube channels Steveo1Kinevo and FlightChops. Now, we’re going to focus on the flight training channel MzeroA. So if you’re a student pilot or just someone who loves to learn more about flying, definitely read on!

Discussing everything from slow flying, soloing and flying to new airfields to multi-engine transitions and careers in aviation, MzeroA offers some incredibly valuable content to pilots. Since their mantra is “A good pilot is always learning”, MzeroA creates flight training videos for pilots in any stage of their training; from private pilot students all the way through commercial pilots and CFI’s.

Jason Schappert, the guy behind most of MzeroA’s videos, is a young CFII full of energy who explains the most complicated maneuvers and practices simply, easy to understand and step by step. The videos he produces are stunning, with cameras mounted on the interior and exterior of the aircraft and even using drones to get some spectacular views when practicing any sort of landings or maneuvers close to the ground.

Besides a Youtube channel, they also have their website MzeroA.com, where you will find a ton of great resources to jumpstart your flight training or help you wherever you’re at in the process. If you enjoy their videos, they also offer a great online ground school with interactive courses and even more great training videos.

Do you remember Discovery Channel’s star Ariel Tweto from Flying Wild Alaska? She likes to jump in on some of the videos as well, which makes for some great and funny television!

MzeroA not only creates beautiful, short and to-the-point videos on their channel, they also regularly publish other great videos like webinar recordings. If you are about to start your flight training and have an hour and 12 minutes to spare today, here’s an interesting webinar recording with 7 ways to save money on your flight training, by MzeroA.

A training flight in a Tecnam P2006 makes for a very interesting and educational 16-minute video about transitioning to a multi-engine aircraft:

“One place I spent a lot of time was with Jason Schappert and MzeroA. Primarily because the videography that brings you into the cockpit and shows you what you’re doing in terms of controlling the airplane, is all part of the preparation and studying that’s incredibly valuable before you even get into the cockpit of the  – Jim Minow, Executive Director AOPA Foundation

You can follow MzeroA Flight Training on YouTube, Facebook or their website.

What are your favorite aviation Youtube channels? Let us know in the comments!

4. Premier 1 Driver

It’s been a while since I last published a story in this series, but after listening to episode 6 of Justin Siems Pilot to Pilot podcast with Greg Mink, aka Premier 1 Driver, I just had to continue this series and write about all those great aviation YouTube channels.

Previously, I covered Steveo1Kinevo, FlightChops and MzeroA in this series. Now it’s Premier 1 Driver’s turn, a business aviation and former Air National Gard F-16 pilot flying his Beech Premier jet around the US.

Greg started his flying career at age 15 when his dad told him at the kitchen table “I bought a plane today”. What follows was a great father and son time where they did their training together, although Greg had to wait until his 17th birthday to legally be able to take his checkride.

After finishing his PPL, instrument rating and moving onto some bigger birds, Top Gun finally pushed him towards the Air National Guard, where he flew F-16 fighter jets at age 24. After retiring from flying the F-16, Greg decided to get into the business world rather than pursuing a career at the airlines. After having owned and flown multiple airplanes, from a Cessna 210 to a C414A and MU2, Greg needed something that offered better performance, speed, efficiency and capabilities. The Beechcraft Premier was the perfect choice for them, offering speed, a higher service ceiling and great fuel efficiency for a jet. Greg traveled to Europe to pick up the plane and flew it around Europe with his father before bringing the plane back to the States.

Greg started recording some of his flights with cameras. First for his own memories, but later he occasionally started posting them on YouTube and they started to take on a life of their own. His channel started to get more traction and was receiving great feedback and even some gear to help improve his videos. He does emphasize that safety is and always will be his first priority, which is, of course, the only way one should do this.

On his YouTube channel, Greg shares his experiences flying the Premier jet, but also some beautiful sceneries he flies over, great places he visits and insights for new and current pilots. Apart from being inspirational, his videos also teach you about flying, whether that’s for fun or as a career.

Apparently, his wife is not the biggest fan of his YouTube videos, but I sure am! If you haven’t subscribed to his channel yet, you should, because you don’t want to miss out on any of his great videos!

If you want to learn more about Greg’s life, how he started his aviation journey and how he got where he is now, I highly recommend you listen to Pilot to Pilot podcast episode 6 where host Justin Sims interviews him about his flying career and channel.

You can follow Premier 1 Driver on Youtube and Instagram.

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What are your favorite aviation YouTube channels? Let me know in the comments!

More Aviation YouTube Channels Worth Following

These channels are also on our regular watch list:

• Mentour Pilot: airline captain Petter Hörnfeldt breaks down airline accidents and incidents step by step. The lessons on decision-making and crew coordination apply just as much in a Cessna 172.
• blancolirio: airline pilot Juan Browne covers aviation news and early accident analysis in a calm, factual way.
• Angle of Attack: flight training, backcountry flying and beautifully shot adventures, made by a team that also runs its own flight training.
• Fly8MA: flight instructor Jon Kotwicki explains private pilot topics in short, practical lessons, from maneuvers to checkride preparation.
• Sporty’s: the pilot shop’s channel is full of training videos, gear reviews and pilot tips.
• 74 Gear and Captain Joe: two airline pilots who explain how commercial aviation and the pilot career really work.
• Swiss001: if you fly flight simulators, this is one of the most popular sim channels around.

How to Get the Most out of Aviation YouTube

YouTube is a great supplement to your flight training, but it is not a replacement for it. A few tips:

• Watch with your training in mind. Before a lesson on stalls or crosswind landings, look up a video on that exact topic and discuss it with your instructor afterwards.
• Pay attention to how experienced pilots handle the radio, checklists and weather decisions, not only to the scenery.
• Always check procedures against your own aircraft’s POH and your instructor. What works in one airplane or country may not apply to yours.

Want more? Have a look at our list of the best aviation podcasts and aviation documentaries worth watching.