History Main / AlwaysKnowAPilot

* In the ''[[VideoGame/PAYDAYTheHeist Payday}]]'' series, you're frequently going to require extraction by air, so Bain has two pilots, Alex and Bile, always at the ready.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Payday}}'' series, you're frequently going to require extraction by air, so Bain has two pilots, Alex and Bile, always at the ready.

* One issue of ''Franchise/GIJoe'' has Kwinn, Snake Eyes and Doctor Venom escape from zealous mercenaries in Sierra Gordo aboard an old but functional Lancaster bomber. It just so happens that Doc Venom is an accomplished pilot, and he gets the derelict rustbucket airborne.

In times of disaster, when immediate escape is necessary, or the hero is in need of transportation to confront the evil causing the mayhem, it is invaluable that he has, some time over the course of his past adventures, met and befriended a pilot. Sometimes they just find one [[IncrediblyLamePun on the fly]], but a regular may also step up to do the job. In these cases, the regular may be with the group partially because he knows how to fly, but it's also possible that [[SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat it's never come up before.]]

* Deputy mayor Calico Briggs can summon the ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' with a distress beacon in her purse. More than once, T-Bone and Razor have flown to her rescue in the [[CoolPlane Turbokat]]. Sometimes, it's Commander Feral's niece, Felina that saves Ms. Briggs.

* Deputy mayor Calico Briggs can summon the ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' with a distress beacon in her purse. More than once, T-Bone and Razor have flown to her rescue in the [[CoolPlane Turbokat]].

* The hero in ''Literature/SiberianLight'' knows a pilot, which turns out to be very useful. (This may be because [[AuthorAppeal the author is obsessed with Russian Airplanes]])

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime/Manga]]

[[folder:{{Comics}}]]
* One issue of ''ComicBook/GIJoe'' has Kwinn, Snake Eyes and Doctor Venom escape from zealous mercenaries in Sierra Gordo aboard an old but functional Lancaster bomber. It just so happens that Doc Venom is an accomplished pilot, and he gets the derelict rustbucket airborne.
* Dude Hennick from ''ComicStrip/TerryAndThePirates''. Dude is a frat brother of Pat Ryan's and Pat happens to run into him at the airport in Hong Kong at the exact point when he needs a pilot.

[[folder:{{Film}} - Animated]]
* ZigZagged in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', when Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl needed a plane ride to a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, she called her pilot friend who used to fly her around during her days as a superhero. The surprise comes when it turns out it's just to borrow the plane, because she pilots it herself.[[note]]It was originally scripted that the pilot friend would fly the plane, but this was changed for reasons better explained elsewhere.[[/note]]

[[folder:{{Film}} - Live Action]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

-->'''Hannah''' ''(a marketing person)'': How'd you get here from L. A. so fast?
-->'''Gibson''': Creator/JohnTravolta flew me in his jet. Now I have to help him move next weekend. He deliberately waited until we were in the air to ask me.

-->'''Travolta''': Ahh, but you promised to help me move!

[[folder: RealLife]]

* In ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', whenever a airplane is needed, someone coincidentally knows/has a way to drive it (although Joseph has the misfortune of crashing every plane he gets in, whether he's driving or not). In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo Vento Aureo]]'', Abbacchio flies an airplane with Moody Blues by replaying the actions of the last pilot in that plane.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'': Scrooge keeps Launchpad around because he will fly him anywhere, whether on a treasure hunt or a business trip, for the insanely low price of one cent per mile. Launchpad also has ImprobablePilotingSkills -- he can fly anything, from a live bird to a spacecraft. The inconvenient thing is that, per RuleOfFunny, [[CaptainCrash Launchpad seldom lands without crashing.]]

* * When ''Film/JurassicPark'' was in production, Hurricane Iniki pummeled Hawaii, and in trying to get the cast and crew out, one of the producers bumped in to [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk the pilot who told Indy not be scared of his pet snake Reggie.]]

[[/folder]

* When ''Film/JurassicPark'' was in production, Hurricane Iniki pummeled Hawaii, and in trying to get the cast and crew out, one of the producers bumped in to [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk the pilot who told Indy not be scared of his pet snake Reggie.]]

[[/folder]]

* ZigZagged in ''Film/TheIncredibles'', when Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl needed a plane ride to a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, she called her pilot friend who used to fly her around during her days as a superhero. The surprise comes when it turns out it's just to borrow the plane, because she pilots it herself.[[note]]It was originally scripted that the pilot friend would fly the plane, but this was changed for reasons better explained elsewhere.[[/note]]

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', whenever a airplane is needed, someone coincidentally knows/has a way to drive it (although Joseph has the bad luck of crashing every plane he gets in, whether he's driving or not). In "Vento Aureo", Abbacchio flies an airplane with Moody Blues by replaying the actions of the last pilot in that plane.

Of course, this is not going to be easy. Any number of things may occur to complicate the aviator's foray into heroism, from mechanical difficulties to running out of gas to enemy fire. In some cases, the pilot will die in the process, going down with his plane. In lighter cases, he may turn out to have ejected or have survived the crash....thus allowing the hero to enlist his services the ''next'' time he needs air transport.

[[folder:{{Film}}]]

* ZigZagged in ''Film/TheIncredibles'', when Helen Parr, aka Elastigirl needed a plane ride to a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, she called her pilot friend who used to fly her around during her days as a superhero. The surprise comes when it turns out it's just to borrow the plane, because she pilots it herself. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen It was almost played straight though]], as the original version in the script had her friend piloting the plane and dying when it crashed, but this was cut for various reasons, including the potential for MoralGuardians to object at killing someone off in a family movie, and the fact that doing so would have been a WeHardlyKnewYe situation. As it turns out, having Helen pilot the plane herself leads a lot of weight and depth to her character, too.

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', whenever a airplane is needed, someone "coincidentally" knows/has a way to drive it.(although Joseph has the bad luck of crashing every plane he gets in, whether he's driving or not). In Vento Aureo, Abbacchio flies an airplane with Moody Blues by replaying the actions of the last pilot in that plane.

* In the movie version of Film/ClearAndPresentDanger, Ryan and Clark, in Columbia, need a pilot for their chopper. Clark finds Buck Zimmer, passed out at a bar, and presses him into service.
%%* Rick recruits the services of Winston in ''Film/TheMummy''. '''ZCE'''?
* In ''Film/TheMummy Returns'' Rick gets his old friend Izzy to fly him and his family in pursuit of Imhotep
* ''Film/TwentyTwelve'': When John Cussack and his family force the reluctant Gordon to pilot a small plane and later a much bigger plane.

* ''Series/TheATeam'' : A large part of [[AcePilot Howlin' Mad Murdock's]] usefulness to the team is that he can fly anything that [[ConMan Face]] can scam. This makes him very useful for transportation (though they have to work around B.A.'s fear of flying).
* Thomas ''Series/MagnumPI'' frequently seeks help from T.C., a helicopter pilot that conducts aerial tours of Hawaii. Though it's often an imposition, T.C. routinely comes through for TheHero.

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* In ''[=JoJo=]'s Bizarre Adventure'', whenever a airplane is needed, someone "coincidentally" knows/has a way to drive it.(although Joseph has the bad luck of crashing every plane he gets in, whether he's driving or not). In Vento Aureo, Abbacchio flies an airplane with Moody Blues by replaying the actions of the last pilot in that plane.

* The hero in ''Siberian Light'' knows a pilot, which turns out to be very useful. (This may be because [[AuthorAppeal the author is obsessed with Russian Airplanes]])

* MegaManX5: if you opt the launch the Shuttle to stop the ColonyDrop, Zero (one of the playable characters) reveals that he can pilot the thing, so he volunteers for it. This ability is never mentioned in prev. games, nor any title after that. It's mostly as a justification (read: plot mandate) for Zero turning bad with the effect of the ColonyDrop (that is, if your effort to stop it fails).

* In 'VideoGame/DeusEx'', J.C. Denton can befriend a pilot who turns out to be his chopper pilot. He can die, or you can deliver the [[{{Narm}} narmiest]] line ever.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'': Scrooge keeps Launchpad around because he will fly him anywhere, whether on a treasure hunt or a business trip, for the insanely low price of one cent per mile. The inconvenient thing is that, per RuleOfFunny, [[CaptainCrash Launchpad seldom lands without crashing.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Creator/MelGibson sneaks into town to check on the progress of his FilmPreview.