Lauren Sánchez Bezos

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, but 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. “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,” Sánchez Bezos says. “I was not in a rush, and I was not trying to prove anything. Even though aviation was around me growing up, I really started from zero, and I was OK with that. Starting later gave me patience. I respected the learning curve and trusted the process.”

Once on the flying path, Sánchez Bezos wasted no time becoming proficient and finding her niche. She started out in fixed-wing aircraft but quickly found her love in helicopters. “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 paying attention at all times. I love that level of responsibility. It is challenging, demanding, and it keeps you sharp.”

Flying helicopters led her to start her aerial film and production company, BlackOps Aviation. “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 really supportive,” she says. “Flying has taught me patience, humility, and respect for preparation. It has reinforced the idea that competence is earned and that you never stop learning. Earning my license took real commitment, and that sense of discipline carries into other parts of my life. It is something I take seriously, but it also brings me a lot of joy.”

Flying also led her to become 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. Instead of panicking, we started laughing and imagining what that fly must be thinking, suddenly seeing the world from the air. That silly moment turned into the inspiration for my children’s book series. 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 second book, The Fly Who Flew Under the Sea came out in March 2026. In 2025, Bezos also had a chance to go to space, leading Blue Origin’s first all-female crew.

As a mother, Sánchez Bezos has a passion for helping young people discover their potential and pursue their dreams—including dreams of flight. She recently spent time with a group of students who are using the AOPA Foundation’s high school aviation STEM curriculum, sharing her story, offering encouragement, and taking them for a helicopter flight. “Exposure changes everything,” she says. “Aviation can feel out of reach until someone shows you a real path in. That is why programs like those offered by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association matter so much. They make aviation feel possible. If you are curious, follow that curiosity. Use the resources available to you. You do not have to come from aviation or look like the pilots you have seen to belong here.”

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