Pilots are people 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[]
Annual Stories
BooksMagazine Stories
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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)
Trivia[]
- In the original script for the fifth series episode, Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday, Harold's main pilot was called Cyril.
Tiger Moth's Pilot[]
Tiger Moth's pilot is the operator of Tiger Moth.
Biography[]
When Sir Topham Hatt and his family were about to board Harold at Dryaw Airfield, Tiger Moth arrived with his pilot did a dangerous low-flying move above them. After Tiger Moth went missing, Sir Topham Hatt joined the search party with Harold and when they found Tiger Moth in a haystack, Sir Topham Hatt scolded the pilot for his recklessness, seeing to have him and his plane grounded.
When Harold had engine trouble during the grand opening of Rumblin Bridge, Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt decided to ride in the Hot Air Balloon, which was operated by Tiger Moth's pilot. After the balloon landed in a tree, due to the burner running out of fuel, the pilot and the Hatts were helped to the ground by some workmen.
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
Music Videos
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BooksMagazine Stories
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Voice Actors[]
- Yasuhiko Kawazu (Japan; fifth series only)
- Hikaru Midorikawa (Japan; seventh series only)
Trivia[]
- The pilot's body was reused for a farmer at Hill Farm 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.
- His close-up scale figures were sold in the Propstore's Thomas & Friends Online Charity Auction 2025.
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 got stuck on a mudbank on the Sodor Maid canal boat, the pilot and Jem Cole tried pulling the Sodor Maid out of the mudbank with their canal boat, 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 it was out of hot air. The balloon landed onto a level crossing right in front of James, who blew it back 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
Music Videos
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Trivia[]
- The pilot's head in both small and large scale are slight repaints of the Portly Man from the fourth series.
- His close-up scale figures were sold in the Propstore's Thomas & Friends Online Charity Auction 2025.
- The pilot's small scale figure was on display as part of an 80th anniversary exhibition at Kyoto Rail Museum.
- The pilot's arms and part of his body sport football fan decals which would have been applied for use in the tenth series episode, Thomas and the Colours.
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 travelled 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[]
The Light Aircraft Pilot[]
The Light Aircraft Pilot is the operator of the Light Aircraft.
Biography[]
When the Light Aircraft was very low on fuel, the pilot flew it 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]
Appearances[]
Other Pilots[]
Several other pilots have been seen flying various aircraft.
Biography[]
Murdoch once encountered a pilot flying a glider over the railway.[2]
Merchandise[]
- Wood (discontinued)