History Main / UniversalDriversLicense

* In an episode of ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' she insists that since a regular driver can't be found she'd drive the heavy equipment needed in snowstorm. Mary: "It's got a shift lever like an 'I', right?" Lou Grant explains it's more like "An 'H' with a 'V' next to it."

* Colonel Sheppard of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has been known to pilot anything remotely capable of flight, including a hollowed-out asteroid.[[labelnote:*]]Yes, really.[[/labelnote]] There is often an attempt to avert the trope by having him bungle the landing in one way or another, even though most of the Alien crafts piloted by Sheppard (ie: Puddle Jumpers, The Orion and Atlantis) are controlled by thought; you simply need to think what you want the ship to do, and it does it. The control sticks are probably because having something to do with their hands helps the pilots to focus their thoughts better.
* In the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' Starbuck learns how to fly the crashed Raider via gut-poke better that Lee can fly his state-of-the-art Viper.
** Lampshaded when a frustrated Chief Tyrol is totally flummoxed as to how Starbuck could even get the frakking thing to ''move''.
* This trope is used in ''Series/QuantumLeap'' to introduce Al's role as observer in the pilot episode: he can show Sam which switches to flick and 'guides' his control inputs but admits that there's no way Sam can land a 1950s supersonic test plane even with holographic assistance, so Sam bails out. A later episode set in a plane above the Bermuda Triangle also showed that when 'The Triangle' (possibly) causes Al to disappear, then Sam still can't fly a plane without help.

** Richard Hammond eventually got his own [[Creator/TheBBC BBC America]] show, ''Series/RichardHammondsCrashCourse'', that is This Trope: TheSeries.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': It seems like The Doctor has one of these; he'll ride anything from horses, cars (any time period), space-cruise liners and spaceships. It should be mentioned that he needed to take a test to learn how to fly the TARDIS, and he failed. This is all partly justified because in 900 years of life, you probably get the hang of these things.
** It's not just the Doctor. In ''The Curse of the Black Spot'', a 17-century pirate crew are flying an alien starship by the end of the episode. Earlier, when the pirate captain first came aboard the TARDIS, he was able to figure out almost instantly what many of the controls were. When the Doctor looked at him in a bit of surprise, he shrugged and said, "A ship's a ship."
** Also, in "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, Madge Sinclair, who was previously shown to be a terrible driver, manages to operate a HumongousMecha because the cockpit looks kind of like a plane and her pilot husband took her up with him, ONCE. Partially justified since she's looking for her children and this episode repeatedly shows that a MamaBear can do anything.
*** It should be noted that she doesn't drive it very ''well''. The Doctor even {{Lampshades}} this, saying he can recognize her driving. As soon as she reaches her destination, the whole thing tips over and crashes, prompting the Doctor to mutter, "Nice job, Madge, it's a complete write-off."

* In an episode of TheMaryTylerMooreShow she insists that since a regular driver can't be found she'd drive the heavy equipment needed in snowstorm. Mary: "It's got a shift lever like an 'I', right?" Lou Grant explains it's more like "An 'H' with a 'V' next to it."

* Colonel Sheppard of ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has been known to pilot anything remotely capable of flight, including, I kid you not, a hollowed-out asteroid. Although it should be noted that there is often an attempt to avert the trope by having him bungle the landing in one way or another.
** Though most of the Alien crafts piloted by Sheppard (ie: Puddle Jumpers, The Orion and Atlantis) are controlled by thought, you simply need to think what you want the ship to do, and it does it. Doesn't explain why they all have control sticks though.
*** Having something to do with their hands helps the pilots to focus their thoughts better.

* Lampshaded in ''{{Paycheck}}'' when Michael Jennings discovers he bought himself a motorcycle, he asks Uma Thurman's character "How good am I on this thing?"

* In Creator/StanislawLem's novel [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eden_%28novel%29 Eden]], the explorers [[spoiler:kill one of the Doublers (sentient life forms there)]], then proceed to return to their ship in the vehicle left behind. The catch? It's a freaking '''spinning top''' which also spins like a wheel, and not on its axis as a normal top would do. Still, the crew manages to figure the controls out rather quickly.
* Parodied in SamuraiCat, where Miowara Tomokato is qualified to drive a laundry list of motorcycles, automobiles, airplanes, blimps, boats, jetskiis, and [[Literature/TheHuntForRedOctober Typhoon-class submarines.]]

* Averted at one point in ''TheThreeInvestigators and the mystery of the Coughing Dragon'' where one of the investigators tries to start up a bus and fails due to his lack of understanding of the [[DrivingStick double-clutch]].

* In ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', Lucas (the Blue Ranger) explicitly has this as a knack: "Lucas can drive anything." However, he got into a little trouble when he was caught speeding and tried to show his 31st Century driver's license to a 21st Century cop.
** For that matter, it's amazing that everybody who becomes a Power Ranger automatically knows how to pilot their Zord.
*** In the original series, ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', Billy actually mentions the first time he gets in his Zord that he instinctively knows how to drive it. Apparently, once morphed, a Ranger knows how to use most of his equipment.
** Presumably, they do get training. And in some of the series, being a Power Ranger is more like being a police officer than being a radioactive civilian. Besides, Zords seem to run off massive amounts of posing and shouting so learning complicated controls or what not is probably unnecessary.
** [[CousinOliver Justin]] notes in the ''[[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo]]'' movie that he's thankful that driving a Zord doesn't require a license.
* ''Series/StargateSG1''. Archaeologist flies alien cargo ship. Film at eleven.
** As unrealistic as it sounds, it's better for Jackson to pilot the ship than the two airforce pilots he's with - at least he can read what's on the HUD!
** That and the fact that most Goa'uld technology seems to be thought-controlled, being lifted and slightly modified from the Ancients' tech.

* ''{{Tintin}}'' is the king of this trope. He's too sickeningly talented for words.

* Razorback from ''MarvelComics'' has this as his mutant power. If it moves, he can pilot it. Doesn't explain why he [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing dressed up like a giant warthog]].

* Parodied in ''HotFuzz'': The opening montage states that Nicholas Angel took and excelled in several courses beyond the standard police skillset, including advanced driving (cut to Angel taking a car through a controlled skid-stop)) and advanced ''cycling'' (cut to Angel taking a ''bike'' through a controlled skid-stop). [[AluminiumChristmasTrees Truer to life than you might think]]; police cycle training is basically LeParkour [[RecycledInSpace ON TWO WHEELS!]].

* By the end of ''Film/WildWildWest'', it appears that at least one of the heroes (probably [[GadgeteerGenius Artemus Gordon]]) has figured out how to drive a giant mechanical spider.
** Mostly justified with Gordon, the various things we first him drive were built by him, and it takes him awhile to figure out how to steer the spider.
* Lampshaded in ''TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension'': the titular hero steals a red Lectroid shuttlecraft over his black Lectroid companion's protests. ("I flunk out of flight school, that is why I am a diplomat.") Later, Buckaroo convinces the Lectroid to take over the controls so he can man the guns.

* In ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', set 1000 years in the future, a group of now cave-dwelling humans come across a group of Harrier jump-jets, from still miraculously working, after some second hand experience from books and a few days with a flight simulator, also miraculously working, they learn to fly them to defeat the group of Aliens currently controlling the planet. These humans had no education whatsoever, only one human was partly educated by the aliens yet still managed to learn to read English. In the original novel there are no Harriers: the bad guy teaches the protagonist how to pilot alien aircraft and the protagonist, in turn, teaches other humans.
* [[StarWars Obi-Wan Kenobi]] seems able to pilot almost anything, from a Jedi starfighter to General Grievous' private ship to ''a Gungan sub that he's never even seen before.'' (Note to the uninitiated: Space and water [[SpaceIsAnOcean are not]] [[SubvertedTrope the same thing.]])

* SnakesOnAPlane lampshades this to the point of parody while still playing it straight: after both pilots are incapacitated, bumbling bodyguard Troy has the most experience. The experience being from a PSP flight simulator, displeasing the control tower. He manages to do okay, but has to land the plane under adverse conditions (too much of a tailwind) due to pointing out that he doesn't have time to turn around since the bite victims need help asap. The plane would have crashed into the building if not for all of the fire trucks in the way. Samuel L. Jack's character get's the final word:

* Subverted in Part 3 of ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure'': with both the pilot and copilot of a plane taken out, Joseph declares he can fly it because he knows how to fly a propeller plane. Kakyoin then yells, "This is a ''jet!''" The plane crashes moments later.

*** And then, later in the same series, they get on another plane. Three guesses what happens to it.
* Justified in ''{{Cyborg 009}}'', where one of the title character's cybernetic enhancements gives him the ability to drive any vehicle flawlessly, which allows him to get a lucrative job as a racecar driver during a sabbatical.
* In ''SonicX'', Tails is actually given a literal UniversalDriversLicense (or rather a whole stack of them) for anything he can build to drive, helm or fly. And this is a (albeit extradimensional fox) kid who is somewhere around 8 or 10 at the most, just as well he's a genius.

* In ''{{Mahoromatic}}'', Mahoro once showed a full driving license, complete with every single type of civilian vehicle listed on it, from cars to different tonnage trucks to boats and ships, including even aircrafts.
* In Daiakuji, it is revealed that Satsu has licenses for small planes and boats as well as normal civilian cars.

* Manga/LupinIII himself, as well as the members of his gang, can handle anything from a car to a helicopter to an experimental fighter jet. And on one occasion, the ''space shuttle''.

* ''DetectiveConan'' can drive a motor boat and a helicopter. A simple answer on he can do so is that he has learned them in Hawaii. [[DeusExMachina Conan seems to have learned everything in Hawaii.]]

* {{Batman}}. He knows how to drive the [[CoolCar Batmobile]], [[CoolBoat Batboat]], [[CoolBike Batpod]], [[CoolPlane Batplane]], [[BlackHelicopter Batcopter]], and all the [[{{Thememobile}} other assorted thematic vehicles]] he has in darn near every version, up to and including PoweredArmor and [[HumongousMecha mecha]].
* Used in one ''ComicBook/XWingSeries'' comic. In the first arc, the agent Winter gets in an ally's X-Wing, and it takes off because its owner told its R2 unit to be somewhere to cause a distraction. She then takes control and shoots down the entire squadron of TIE fighters, including the one with the owner in it, and yet at the end of the arc she's told that she's not flight-qualified on an X-Wing and will have to ride in a shuttle. Stackpole was reportedly quite unhappy with this arc. Winter did have PhotographicMemory, and admittedly knowing how to do something and having the necessary paperwork to prove you can are two different things, but that's still a hell of a PlotHole.

* {{Batman}}. He knows how to drive the [[CoolCar Batmobile]], [[CoolBoat Batboat]], [[CoolBike Batpod]], [[CoolPlane Batplane]], [[BlackHelicopter Batcopter]], and all the[[{{Thememobile}} other assorted thematic vehicles]] he has in darn near every version, up to and including PoweredArmor and [[HumongousMecha mecha]].

* {{Batman}}. Considering the [[CoolCar Batmobile]], [[CoolBoat Batboat]], [[CoolBike Batpod]], [[CoolPlane Batplane]], [[BlackHelicopter Batcopter]], and [[{{Thememobile}} other assorted thematic vehicles]] he has in darn near every version, up to and including PoweredArmor and [[HumongousMecha mecha]], his training must have been ''extensive''.
** To be fair, these are all vehicles he personally owns, and so should know how to operate. And owning such a wide variety of vehicles does justify this trope when he encounters new machinery in the wild.

* Parodied in ''TheSimpsons'': The control panel of a fighter jet at an airshow has a large button marked "fly" on it, allowing Sideshow Bob to easily steal it. He crashes it anyway. Parodied yet again later in the same episode: Bob and Bart escape on the Wright Brothers' plane. Once they land safely, a young pilot driving a tank finally catches up to the plane and runs it over. The pilot admits "We don't use these much in the airforce."

** Although played straight with Leela a few seconds later. Apparently knowing "how to drive stick" is all the knowledge you need to pilot an inter-stellar spaceship. (though it might have referred to driving ''spaceships'' stick)

* In an episode of ''TotallySpies'', one of the girls got over her pre-drivers test jitters by flying an alien aircraft....

** Averted in the manga adaption of [[{{VideoGame/KingdomHearts}} the first game]]. Sora '''CRASHES''' the Gummi Ship into a meteorite near Traverse Town during his first time as pilot, and gets a scolding from Donald Duck.

-->'''Sora:''' Take a break, Donald
-->'''Donald:''' What? I don't think that's such a-

-->'''Donald:''' Sora, the [[{{CallBack}} last time I let you fly]] you crashed the ship!
-->'''[[{{IdiotHero}} Sora]]:''' Which way are we headed!?
-->'''Donald:''' Stop! We're going to hit the meteor!

** Most (every single?) modern buses have automatic transmissions, so that part will probably not be the problem.

* ''{{Timemaster}}'' used the universal drivers license. If you were originally from 1920's Chicago and learned to drive a Model T Ford, you could use the same skill roll to drive a late 20th century 18 wheeler, a 30th century hovercraft or a 45th century mecha. Possibly all in the same scenario, this was a time travel game after all.
* The ''HeroSystem'' has Transport Familiarity, which has catagories covering the basics of everything from riding horseback to piloting warp-driven starships. The catch is, having all the possible catagories plus Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, and Riding can and will set you back quite a considerable chunk of points. Star Hero and The Ultimate Skill also expand on the basic list if the GM choses to use the optional catagories in game.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra The Legend of Korra's]] first season finale, Asami tries out a mechatank and, looking at the controls, says they're just like a Future Industries forklift! [[spoiler: Iroh is less lucky with the airplane he steals in midflight, wobbling madly. He seems to pick up the basics fast, but fortunately doesn't need to land it.]]

* In WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra's first season finale, Asami tries out a mechatank and, looking at the controls, says they're just like a Future Industries forklift! [[spoiler: Iroh is less lucky with the airplane he steals in midflight, wobbling madly. He seems to pick up the basics fast, but fortunately doesn't need to land it.]]

** Lampshaded when a frustrated Chief Tyrol is totally flummoxed as to how Starbuck could even get the gods-damn frakking thing to ''move''.

** If registered in European countries, Humvee is legally a truck ("motorized vehicle over 3500kgs loaded weight") and can be driven by anyone holding a truck license. Controls are not different from a 4x4 truck anyway. Some older military trucks are much more demanding - see the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIL_131 Soviet ZIL-131]]: 6x6 transmission, 5-gear main gearbox (out of which 1st is the reduction gear, normally the 2nd is used to start) multiplied by 2-gear transfer case, limited slip differentials actuated by pneumatic controls from the dashboard, tire pressure controlled from the dashboard, all controls hard as set in concrete... [[InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou in Soviet Russia the truck drove you]] more than you drove it.

* In ''[[{{VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII}} Kingdom Hearts II]]'', Riku pilots a conveniently placed hovercraft, and later goes on to drive [[{{Tron}} a Light Cycle]] in ''[[{{VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance}} Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance]]'', both in very spur of the moment situations. Perhaps keyblades magically grant their wielders knowledge of how to drive any vehicle? Or is it just Riku?
** Sora also drove a Light Cycle ([[{{TronTwoPointOh}} though a different one]] [[{{TronLegacy}} that Riku used]]) at one point. Like Riku, he had no knowledge on how to use one beforehand.

* ''DetectiveConan'' can drive a motor boat and a helicopter. When asked how could he do so, he claims he has learned them in Hawaii. [[DeusExMachina Conan seems to have learned everything in Hawaii.]]

* ''DetectiveConan'' can drives a motor boat and a helicopter. When asked how, he claims he has learned them in Hawaii. [[DeusExMachina Conan seems to have learned everything in Hawaii.]]

* ''DetectiveConan'' at one time drives a motor boat and a helicopter in another time. He claims he has learned how to do so in Hawaii. [[DeusExMachina Conan seems to have learned everything in Hawaii.]]

* ''DetectiveConan'' at one time drives a motor boat. He claims he has learned how to do so in Hawaii. [[DeusExMachina Conan seems to have learned everything in Hawaii.]]

** Averted in the manga adaption of [[{{VideoGame/KingdomHearts}} the first game]]. Sora '''CRASHES''' the Gummi Ship into Traverse Town during his first time as pilot, and gets a scolding from Donald Duck.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Riku pilots a conveniently placed hovercraft, and later goes on to drive [[{{Tron}} a light cycle]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3D'', both in very spur of the moment situations. Perhaps keyblades magically grant their wielders knowledge of how to drive any vehicle? Or is it just Riku?