Movies Like Bessie Coleman: Dream to Fly

If you liked Bessie Coleman: Dream to Fly (1994), a movie directed by Leslie Harris, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Red Tails (2012)
★ 6.7/10
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.
2
Propeller One-Way Night Coach (2026)
★ 6.2/10
During the golden age of aviation, a young airplane enthusiast and his mother embark on a cross-country journey to Hollywood—and their simple flight transforms into the trip of a lifetime.
3
Flight Risk (2025)
★ 5.9/10
A pilot transports a U.S. Marshal accompanying a government witness to a trial in New York. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
4
The Aviator (2004)
★ 7.2/10
A biopic depicting the life of filmmaker and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes from 1927 to 1947, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, while simultaneously growing more unstable…
5
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
★ 7.3/10
A Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane raises havoc among a normally peaceful tribe of African bushmen who believe it to be a utensil of the gods.
6
Flyboys (2006)
★ 6.5/10
The adventures of the Lafayette Escadrille, young Americans who volunteered for the French military before the U.S. entered World War I, and became the country's first fighter pilots.
7
On a Wing and a Prayer (2023)
★ 5.9/10
After their pilot dies unexpectedly mid-flight, passenger Doug White must safely land a plane and save his entire family from insurmountable danger.
8
The First of the Few (1942)
★ 6.7/10
This 1942 fictionalized biopic chronicles the true story of how two of the most remarkable men in aviation history - visionary Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell and his test pilot Geoffrey Crisp - designed a streamlined…
9
Shadow in the Cloud (2021)
★ 5.8/10
A WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.
10
Hancock (2008)
★ 6.4/10
Hancock is a down-and-out superhero who's forced to employ a PR expert to help repair his image when the public grows weary of all the damage he's inflicted during his lifesaving heroics. The agent's idea of…
11
Fate Is the Hunter (1964)
★ 6.5/10
An airline executive refuses to believe that pilot error, by his friend, caused a fatal crash and persists in looking for another reason.
12
The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)
★ 6.7/10
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh struggles to finance and design an airplane that will make his New York to Paris flight the first solo transatlantic crossing.
13
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
★ 7.3/10
A traveling performer arrives at a remote South American port town where the head of an air freight service must risk his pilots' lives to earn a major contract.
14
The Aeronauts (2019)
★ 6.8/10
In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history. While breaking records and advancing…
15
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
★ 6/10
When an oil rig in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia proves unproductive, an aircraft crew are sent to shut the operation down and fly them out. On the flight out over the desert on the way to Beijing, Capt. Frank Towns and…
16
Swiped (2025)
★ 6.6/10
Whitney Wolfe uses extraordinary grit and ingenuity to break into the male-dominated tech industry.
17
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
★ 8/10
American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford…
18
The Bloody Hundredth (2024)
★ 7.2/10
Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.
19
The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1989)
★ 7.1/10
Xixo is back again. This time, his children accidentally stow away on a fast-moving poachers' truck, unable to get off, and Xixo sets out to rescue them. Along the way, he encounters a couple of soldiers trying to…
20
Flight (2012)
★ 6.9/10
Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane…