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Ava Sterling

Ava Sterling

On airflix

Capt., A350 · 12,000 hrs · air-show demo pilot

Twenty years on the flight deck, the last eight in the left seat of the A350. Weekends you will find me flying the aerobatic display circuit. I answer a few questions here about what the job is actually like — the parts passengers never see. Ask me anything about flying, weather, or life at 38,000 feet.
Field Notes from Mars
Known forField Notes from Mars

A documentary about the audio engineer who recorded the wind on another planet.

Gallery

The Falcon I fly on the display circuit
The Falcon I fly on the display circuit
Golden hour somewhere over the Atlantic
Golden hour somewhere over the Atlantic
That first-light climb never gets old
That first-light climb never gets old
Wheels up at dusk — my favourite time to fly
Wheels up at dusk — my favourite time to fly

Fan mail

Your question goes to Ava. They answer some questions publicly on this page — there's no promised reply, and answers may take a while.

If it's answered, your name appears next to it here.

What does a crosswind landing actually feel like from the flight deck? From seat 32A it always looks scarier than it should.

— Marcus

Busier than it looks, calmer than it feels. You land slightly sideways, then straighten the nose with the rudder in the last few seconds — the aircraft is built for it and so are we. Honestly, 32A is one of the best seats to watch the wing do its work.

Sep 3, 2026

Do pilots actually get nervous during bad turbulence, or are you completely used to it?

— Priya

We are not nervous, but we are paying very close attention. Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous — the wings are designed to flex far more than they ever will in the roughest air you have felt. The seatbelt sign is really about keeping you safe from a spilled coffee, not the aeroplane.

Aug 31, 2026

What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen from the cockpit?

— James

Sunrise over the Himalayas on an early Delhi run — the peaks come up out of the dark one at a time. A close second is the aurora on a winter North Atlantic crossing. Twenty years in and it still stops me mid-sentence.

Aug 26, 2026

As themselves

Crash & Stand
16+20251m
Premiere