Pilots are drivers who operate the controls of various aircraft.
Harold's Pilots[]
Harold is operated by both a pilot and a co-pilot.
Biography[]
When Percy went down a flooded line, Harold arrived and one of his pilots dropped a crate attached to a parachute, which contained hot drinks for Percy's crew and the passengers. Harold's pilot also dropped packages of food to the villagers at Ulfstead, after the village was snowed under.
When Toby was floating away on a broken bridge heading towards the Waterfall, Harold arrived and one of his pilots dropped one end of a rope to Toby's crew and the other end to Percy's crew, so Toby could be saved from falling.
When the mailbags from the Mail Train were loaded into Harold's net, one of his pilots suggested that they should take the heavy mailbags a few at a time, however, Harold objected. When Harold took off with all the mailbags, his engine started to splutter and he lost control, much to the shock of his pilots. The net of mailbags got stuck in a tree and Harold fell and landed in a haystack, while his pilots managed to free themselves from Harold and the haystack.
Uniform[]
The uniform worn by Harold's pilots consists of dark blue trousers, a black tie and a white shirt with a dark blue jacket with slightly lighter blue accents over it. They wear dark blue peaked caps. They have brass aviator badges on the front of their jackets. From the sixth series onwards, their uniform is in a darker blue colour scheme instead.
Appearances[]
Thomas & Friends
|
Voice Actors[]
- Katsuji Mori (Japan; Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday)
- Naoki Tatsuta (Japan; A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter)
- Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan; The Grand Opening)
Tiger Moth's Pilot[]
Tiger Moth's pilot is the operator of Tiger Moth.
Biography[]
When the Fat Controller and his family were at Dryaw Airfield ready to board Harold, Tiger Moth arrived and his pilot flew closely above them, narrowly missing them. Several days later, Harold arrived at the Fat Controller's holiday house to inform him about Tiger Moth going missing and to invite him to join the search party. When they found Tiger Moth, which was crashed in a haystack, the Fat Controller scolded the pilot for his recklessness, seeing to have him and his plane grounded.
During the grand opening of Rumblin Bridge, Harold was having engine trouble, so the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt decided to fly in the hot air balloon, which was operated by Tiger Moth's pilot. While on the way, the hot air balloon's burner ran out of fuel, which caused it to fall. The pilot told the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt to hold tight and the balloon landed in a tree.
Uniform[]
The pilot's uniform consists of light brown trousers, a brown tie and a white shirt with a brown jacket with yellow accents over it. He wears a white scarf and a brown aviator hat. From the seventh series onwards, his uniform is in a darker brown colour scheme instead.
Appearances[]
Thomas & Friends[]
- Series 5 - Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday and Make Someone Happy (cameo)
- Series 7 - Harold and the Flying Horse (cameo) and The Grand Opening
- Series 10 - Thomas and the Jet Plane (cameo)
Music Videos[]
- Series 5 - Donald's Duck and Harold the Helicopter
- Series 7 - The Red Balloon
Voice Actors[]
- Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan; fifth series only)
- Hikaru Midorikawa (Japan; seventh series only)
Trivia[]
- The pilot's body was reused for a farmer in the eleventh series episode, Skarloey Storms Through.
- The pilot's small scale figure is currently on display at Drayton Manor.
- The pilot's Gauge 3 figure was sold on auction on eBay in 2024.
The Hot Air Balloon Pilot[]
The Hot Air Balloon Pilot is the main operator of the Hot Air Balloon. Little is known about this pilot, though he has also been seen on the Heart of Sodor canal boat and at Tidmouth Beach.
Biography[]
When Sir Topham Hatt and his family were riding the Sodor Maid canal boat and got stuck on a mudbank, this pilot and Jem Cole were on the Heart of Sodor canal boat, which they used to pull the Sodor Maid out of the mudbank, but to no avail.
While the pilot was flying the Hot Air Balloon with a passenger, the balloon started to fall and the pilot called out that the balloon was out of hot air. The Hot Air Balloon landed onto a level crossing right in front of James, who blew the balloon up again with his steam.
Uniform[]
The Hot Air Balloon pilot's uniform consists of brown trousers and a yellow shirt. He wears a red wooly hat.
Appearances[]
Thomas & Friends[]
- Series 5 - Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday (cameo) and Make Someone Happy (cameo)
- Series 6 - Harvey to the Rescue (pre-filmed footage cameo), No Sleep for Cranky (pre-filmed footage cameo), It's Only Snow (does not speak), James and the Red Balloon, Gordon Takes a Tumble (deleted scene cameo) and Thomas, Percy and the Squeak (cameo)
- Series 7 - Edward's Brass Band (cameo), The Spotless Record (cameo), Snow Engine (cameo), Something Fishy (cameo), The Grand Opening (cameo) and Gordon and Spencer (cameo)
Music Videos[]
- Series 6 - Winter Wonderland
Voice Actors[]
- Shinobu Satouchi (Japan)
Emerson's Pilot[]
Emerson's pilot is the operator of Emerson.
Biography[]
While Sir Topham Hatt was in Brazil on the hunt for Thomas, he noticed an advertisement for Emerson's services. Taking advantage of both having a way to reach San Francisco and another way of finding Thomas, Sir Topham flew out on Emerson the next morning, flown by the pilot. While they did not have any luck finding Thomas, as he was already in the United States by this time, they did end up overtaking due to Thomas and Ace being stuck overnight following a crash. Emerson, along with his pilot, delivered Sir Topham to San Francisco Docks before setting off again.
Appearance[]
Other Pilots[]
Several other pilots have been seen flying various aircraft.
Biography[]
A pilot was once flying a plane which ran low on fuel while he was flying over the Quarry Tramroad. Toby, along with his driver, helped the pilot land the plane safely into a field near the line. The pilot was very grateful and Toby took the distressed pilot to a nearby airfield to collect some more fuel.[1]
Merchandise[]
- Wood (discontinued)