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EAA AirVenture – August 1, 2007 – At 15, Morgan Freeman was too young to fly the F-86 Sabre jet, so he did the next best thing. He pretended. Unfortunately, he was in English class at the time.
As he made war noises with grunts and groans, he talked on the radio as he struck down another MiG fighter — in his mind.
“Morgan, what are you doing?” his teacher asked.
“Nothing,” he replied, and then got awfully quiet.
Freeman, the Academy Award-winning actor and film director, made his first visit to EAA AirVenture last Thursday and talked about how he got interested in aviation and what he’s flying now.
Freeman said the Sabre jet got him interested in aviation. “It owned the skies.”
It truly did. During the Korean War, the Sabre was the only swept wing jet in the U.S. fighter inventory that scored consistent victories over the Russian-built MiG-15 fighters.
Freeman said he tried to join the Air Force before he finished high school. But they told him to finish school first, and then come back.
He did come back, working as an Air Force mechanic. But he realized the military wasn’t for him. “My fantasy had to do with movies, not with killing people.”
In the decades since, Freeman concentrated on his movie career, playing Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris in Million Dollar Baby, Lucius Fox in Batman Begins, God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, and many other roles.
Then about five years ago, his business partner, a pilot, encouraged him to fly. Freeman took his first lesson in July 2002, and got his license and first airplane in October 2002 when he was 65. He added his instrument rating in May 2003 and his twin engine rating that June.
In fall 2004, he stepped up to a pressurized Cessna 414. He also owns a Cessna Citation 501SP, which he flew to Oshkosh.
While he enjoys flying, it didn’t always come easy. The hardest part for him in the beginning, Freeman said, was learning how to talk to the air traffic controllers. “It was gibberish. I didn’t understand anything after they said clearance.”
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Actor-turned-pilot Morgan Freeman pauses before answering a question about his involvement in aviation for EAA Television during his first visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007. Photo by Dave Higdon
Actor Morgan Freeman poses for photos with a group of FAA “ACE” Camp participants during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Freeman is a pilot and made his first trip to Oshkosh for the event.
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