Lauren Sánchez Bezos
Helicopter pilot and children’s book author
Lauren Sánchez Bezos grew up around airplanes because her father was an airplane mechanic and flight instructor in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spent her childhood. But, she says, “I knew how to stay away from a propeller, and that was about it.”
It wasn’t until her successful career as a news reporter and television co-host that she got bit by the aviation bug. She started out in fixed wing but quickly found her love in helicopters and started Black Ops Aviation, an aerial film and production company. “Journalism taught me discipline, curiosity, and how to stay calm under pressure. Flying uses those same skills, just in a very different way. In a helicopter, you have to be prepared and pay attention at all times. I love that level of responsibility. It keeps you sharp.”
Flying also led her to becoming a children’s book author. Her series The Fly Who Flew was inspired by a flight with her children. “We were taking off in a helicopter and a fly got stuck inside the cockpit. We started laughing and imagining what that fly must be thinking, suddenly seeing the world from the air. It is a reminder that aviation can spark imagination in the most unexpected ways.” The first book in the series, The Fly Who Flew to Space, was on The New York Times bestseller list in 2024 and her latest book, The Fly Who Flew Under the Sea, in 2026. In 2025, Sánchez Bezos also had a chance to go to space, leading Blue Origin’s first all-female crew.
How did you get started in aviation? I did not take my first flight lesson until later in my 40s. I went in curious, not thinking it would turn into anything major, and then I fell in love with it. Flying became something I chose for myself later in life, and that made it even more meaningful.
Biggest challenges? The studying. Aviation is very technical, and there is a lot of reading. I am dyslexic, so I had to figure out how to learn in a way that worked for me. That meant breaking things down, using visuals, repetition, and asking a lot of questions. It was not easy, but dyslexia also teaches you grit. You learn how to keep going even when things do not come easily, and that helped me a lot during training.
What did your friends think of you flying? I did not see flying as leaving one career for another. It felt more like adding something new to my life. Over time, I found a way to weave aviation into a life that already included family, storytelling, and work I love. The people around me could see how much I cared about it, and they were supportive.
Favorite aircraft? Helicopters. Always. They demand your full attention. Hands, feet, and mind all working together. I have joked that helicopters keep you honest, but that is also what I love about them. They are challenging, engaging, and incredibly rewarding.
Advice for students? Exposure changes everything. Aviation can feel out of reach until someone shows you a real path in. That is why programs like those offered by AOPA matter so much. They make aviation feel possible If you are curious, follow that curiosity. You do not have to come from aviation or look like the pilots you have seen to belong here.
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