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Come Fly With Me
Sung by Frank Sinatra
This 1958 hit was written when aviation was glamorous. The lyrics celebrate exotic destinations such as Bombay, Peru, and Acapulco, as well as the joy and romance of being airborne: “Once I get you up there, where the air is rarefied; We’ll just glide, starry eyed.”

Wind Beneath My Wings
Sung by Bette Midler
Cessna 182 owner and drummer Paul Leim recommended this song from the movie Beaches. Why? Could be because he was the drummer on the 1990 Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Leaving On a Jet Plane
By John Denver
Written (and later recorded) by John Denver, the first version was released in 1969 by folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. This song was the number one AOPA staff pick. The lyrics are a lover’s lament at leaving, and the original title was “Oh, Babe, I Hate to Go.” Denver’s producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the name.

Jet Airliner
By The Steve Miller Band
Number eight on the U.S. Billboard chart in 1977, the rock classic refers to the Boeing 707 airliner. It’s a homesick lament, but it does celebrate the “big ole jet airliner,” which can “carry me to my home.”

Leavin’
By Jesse McCartney
The lyrics refer to “flying on the G5,” Gulfstream’s long-range jet.

Up, Up, and Away
By The Fifth Dimension
In 1968, this song about a hot air balloon flight won four Grammy awards, including Song of the Year.

You’re So Vain
By Carly Simon
Simon’s 1972 hit and signature song caused speculation about the identity of the self-absorbed, jet-set lover portrayed in the lyrics. The line “you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia” convinced many it was actor Warren Beatty, whose mother was raised in Nova Scotia.

Enola Gay
By OMD
This controversial 1980 hit is one of many songs about military aircraft. The title refers to the U.S. Army Air Forces B–29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

Aeroplane
By the Red Hot Chili Peppers
In this song from 1996, the aeroplane is compared to the power of music, as a source of escape and freedom.

Learning to Fly
By Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Petty’s inspiration came from seeing an interview with a pilot who said that it wasn’t hard to learn to fly, but coming down was challenging. There’s debate whether Petty was writing about something other than flying an airplane.

Learning to Fly
By Pink Floyd
This song is clearly penned by guitarist and pilot David Gilmour. It sweeps listeners up on an imaginary flight with lyrics straight from a preflight check: “Friction lock, set. Mixture rich, Propellers fully forward.” The official video showcases a hang glider and a low-flying airplane.

Rocket Man
Sung by Elton John
An Elton John/Bernie Taupin hit, this song laments the isolation of space travel during the Apollo moon explorations.

Space Oddity
By David Bowie
David Bowie’s first Top 40 U.S. hit was recorded soon after Apollo 11 landed on the moon in 1969. “Ground Control to Major Tom” became famous again when ISS commander Chris Hadfield sang the song from the International Space Station in 2015.

Back in the USSR
By The Beatles
This 1968 hit features the sounds of a jet landing and refers to a flight from Miami Beach to the Soviet Union on BOAC—British Overseas Airways Corporation, Britain’s state airline and forerunner to British Airways. Paul McCartney said that it was written as a parody of The Beach Boys’ California Girls and a tribute to Chuck Berry’s Back in the USA.

Turbulence
By Steve Aoki and Laidback Luke
The rap warns passengers: “I regret to inform you, we might encounter some turbulence, so when it happens, put your hands up high, like you on a roller coaster.”

Born to Fly
By Sara Evans
This country song asks, “And how do you keep your feet on the ground when you know that you were born, you were born to fly?"

Drunk on a Plane
By Dierks Bentley
A groom who has been stood up at the altar sings, “Buying drinks for everybody but the pilot. It’s a party, got this 737 rocking like a G6.” Bentley is a pilot, so he knows better than most the bottle-to-throttle rule.

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron
By The Royal Guardsman
A favorite of Editor in Chief Tom Haines. The song is about World War I flying ace Baron von Richthofen in his Fokker triplane and features the memorable lyrics: “Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or more. The bloody Red Baron was rolling up the score.”

Wheels Ain’t Coming Down
By Slade
An AOPA staff favorite for its airplane jargon: “Was a 1950s prop job that had seen better days. When we came on in to the last approach, saw the runway through the haze.”

Fly Me to the Moon
By Frank Sinatra
We started with the “Chairman of the Board,” so we’ll end on this high note: “Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars.”