AVIATHÈQUE’s pick of some of the best YouTube channels for Aviation content in 2025 (so far!)
- Prashant Kavi (PK)
- Feb 7
- 5 min read
Broadly categorized and in no particular order these are:
Category: General
Speedtape Films: Cockpit Casual
The channel, a brainchild of entrepreneur pilot Steve Giordano, is a delightfully documented video montage of his ‘routine’ work at Nomadic Aviation, a company founded and managed by him and his partner Robert Allen, who also moonlights as Steve’s lead co-star in the videos! The ‘routine’ work predominantly entails undertaking ferry flights for airlines and leasing companies among others, all around the world. For the uninformed, ferry flights are basically empty airplanes devoid of passengers or freight, being flown around for positioning purposes. And given the ‘on-demand’ nature of the business, ferry flights are often complex operations that are best described as – expect the unexpected with a constant change of plans and no fixed base or schedule of operations. We are guessing therefore the name, ‘Nomadic’ for the venture!
It is the nature of these flights that Steve and Robert fly, that brings in the element of novelty to the videos and Steve lovingly puts it all together with an exceedingly high production value for an amateur. Flying diverse type of jets, mostly from unknown airports and airstrips and capturing all the exciting flight deck action, including the lonely-souls banter (expletives and all!) between Steve and Robert. Besides, a slickly scripted voice-over from Steve, that also details the various aspects of the entire operation apart from the flying itself, makes it all very engaging. And another big highlight is the background score – some brilliant jazz, that beautifully melds into the on-screen visuals and lends a terrific kick to the videos. Incidentally much of the music is also performed by Steve’s father: Steve Giordano Sr. and his co-performers (Check out: Cockpit Casual: The Germantown session).
Mentour Pilot
Petter Hörnfeldt, a Swedish pilot and a B737 Captain, produces videos under two distinct segments, Mentour Pilot and Mentour Now. While Mentour Pilot is essentially an Air Crash Investigation analysis video series, but there is value-add by Petter, where he presents detailed technical analysis of the incident and its root-cause, with an easy to understand and well-scripted commentary. In recent times, the videos have become very visually descriptive with smart graphics, high-quality animation and great attention to detail.
Mentour Now is a segment that covers Aviation news and development with Petter providing a well-researched take on all of it along with his own insights. Again the production value of the videos is top notch and the choice of topics discussed plus the depth of research, very laudable indeed.
Where Petter's videos shine, is in their no-fuss presentation along with a great visual storyboard, complemented by an authoritative analysis that doesn't get overtly technical - with Petter actually decluttering the technical bits that makes it all easy to understand.
3 Minutes of Aviation
This Swiss channel presents a video montage of 'interesting moments' of airplanes (civil and military), particularly at moments of landing or take-off, captured we are assuming, by dedicated but independent teams of airport plane spotters. And in true Swiss style, limits it to a no-frills, succinct 3-minute video, where the the on-screen action speaks for itself.
Category: Air Crash Investigation Analysis
Green Dot Aviation
Green Dot Aviation is a channel hosted by Irishman Emmet Feerick, who’s described as an ‘aviation enthusiast and trainee pilot’. Emmet claims he is motivated to employ his study of Psychology in his analysis of air crash incidents (human factors). And Emmet does indeed do a great job at breaking down the events and examining them with cogent analysis, besides having one of the most balanced, unhurried and neutral voice-overs on YouTube currently – quite an achievement for an Irishman some would say! His in-depth analysis of the MH370 incident is a great example of his erudite research and eloquent presentation, which translates into a riveting watch.
Blancolirio
Helmed by Juan Browne, reportedly a commercial airline pilot, 'blancolirio' (yet to figure out what that name means or implies?!) is dedicated to analyzing aircraft incidents/accidents. Blancolirio is also pretty prolific in his output, coming out with his videos mere days after the accident and sometimes, even hours. And while Juan pieces together the analysis by using data/information from various other online resources, yet he adds value by summarizing the analysis very dispassionately, supplementing it with a technical deep dive that is both compelling and succinct. The only tough part for some to follow might be his commentary, laced with a distinct southern drawl!
Category: Trip Reports/Flight Reviews
Jeb Brooks @GreenerGrass
Protagonist Jeb Brooks describes himself as ‘travel enthusiast and world traveler’, and along with his wife, Suzanne Brooks, the couple do a fine job of documenting their travels and particularly those by air (they cover rail travel and cruise liners too). Heartfelt simplicity defines their work, and the appeal therefore lies in their coming across as the next-door Joneses with a genuine enthusiasm that comes thru with no pretense. The work is high quality too and avoids unnecessary trimmings to present things as they are. Objective in their assessment, yet they also exhibit considerateness when having to communicate the negatives, which comes with a certain empathy that assumes - anyone can have a bad day!
Gabe Leigh @airedition
Gabriel Leigh is an independent Swedish ‘content creator and writer’, who’s also contracted with the popular flight tracking app: Flightradar24. Relatively new to the game, yet Gabriel’s already produced some good quality stuff with his airline trip reports and reviews. With an affable disposition and a ready smile, Gabriel clearly enjoys documenting his air travels and it shows in his work. An easy-going, polite style and never overbearing with his thoughts and feedback, his videos have that fresh organic quality about them, without being doused with all-out-to-impress graphics and such. And the best part is perhaps the diversity of his travel itineraries, which one presumes comes with his professional turf!
Category: Military Aviation
Showtime 112
This Croatian channel is a 'military aviation exclusive' and documents historical stories from around the world, of famous air skirmishes in various conflicts including, "the forgotten conflicts involving third-world nations". Although well researched, the stories and the accounts can sound subjective (depending on which side of the fence you are!) yet the animation and attention to detail is undeniably impressive and beautifully presented. Clearly an effort of love, this channel will especially appeal to history buffs.
Category: Non-custom Channels
Wendover Productions
While Sam Denby's Wendover Productions channel is not a strictly aviation-only channel, yet it has to its credit some of the finest aviation edutainment content on YouTube today. The USP for Wendover's videos lies foremost in the eclectic choice of topics it covers; sample for instance: 'How COVID-19 broke the airline pricing model'; 'The after plane crash protocol'; 'The economics of private jets'; 'How to start an airline'; 'Why Helicopter airlines failed'; 'How Air Ambulances work', et al. And thanks to the in-depth research and impressive on-screen presentation, that efficiently declutters a complex topic for easy understanding, the videos have universal appeal for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Mustard
This counterintuitively named Canadian channel describes itself as: "Mustard brings you curious stories from the world of design, engineering and history. We strive to make these stories entertaining by focusing on beautiful presentations, engaging narratives, and maybe a little humor too.." And it excels at all of it! Thought not dedicated to aviation per se, yet the channel features a plethora of aviation content and especially related to military aircrafts. This channel arguably features some of the best graphics in its category, in addition to it's focus on documenting famous and often controversial airplanes.
Author's Note
While the above listing may be subjective as such listings are wont to be, yet in curating this list, the intent was to break away from the usual 'chart-toppers list' and not necessarily follow the criteria of number of subscribers. Instead, uniqueness and the overall quality of the effort were the predominant selection criteria. And AVIATHÈQUE does recognize and appreciate all serious aviation content creators on YouTube and elsewhere, for their contribution towards propagating the cause of Aviation in their own way.
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