In this brief, author Lawrence Hamilton reports the results of a nationwide U.S. survey that asked respondents whether they agreed, disagreed, or were unsure about a series of statements that mixed pseudo-science conspiracy claims with well-established scientific facts. Around 10 percent of respondents agreed with conspiracy claims that the Earth is flat, NASA faked the Moon landings, or COVID-19 vaccinations implant tracking microchips. Although agreement with conspiracy claims was low overall, it was significantly higher among two subgroups: Millennials, and supporters of ex-president Trump.

No, pilots overwhelmingly do not believe the Earth is flat. The overwhelming scientific evidence, coupled with their daily operational experience navigating long distances using established principles of a spherical Earth, renders the flat-Earth theory demonstrably false in their professional lives. The idea that a significant number of pilots secretly subscribe to flat-Earth beliefs is simply unfounded. While a tiny fringe element may exist, similar to any population group, their views are diametrically opposed to the fundamental principles of aviation.

Our Assessment: FALSE. After thorough investigation, we classify the assertion that aircraft flying "straight and level" proves the Earth is flat as FALSE. This concept does not imply that planes are traveling in a literal straight line; it is a method that involves flying a consistent direction. Pilots must continually make adjustments to uphold speed and altitude.

CNN, reporting on the spread of flat‑Earth conspiracy theories, notes: "There is no definitive study quantifying how many individuals have been convinced of this belief." The article describes how flat‑Earth promoters claim, "without evidence," that "millions more are secretly aligned with their views, including high‑profile figures in Hollywood and airline pilots." No poll or data is presented that measures the percentage of pilots with flat‑Earth beliefs; the suggestion of many pilots being believers is attributed to flat‑Earth advocates and explicitly characterized as unsupported.

Scientific American discusses attempts to quantify flat‑Earth beliefs, referencing a YouGov poll: "According to YouGov’s report, when asked, 'Do you believe that the world is round or flat,' 2 percent of the 8,215 respondents chose 'I have always believed the world is flat.'" After examining the underlying data, the authors found that only 1.28 percent of respondents selected this option and conclude that the discrepancy prevents a firm estimate of the movement’s size. The discussion is about the general U.S. population; there is no mention of any survey targeting airline pilots or estimating what percentage of pilots are flat‑Earth believers.

YouGov’s article on flat‑Earth beliefs in the United States reports: "a new YouGov study reveals that 2% of Americans resolutely say the earth is flat." It adds that "Young millennials, ages 18 to 24, are likelier than any other age group to say they believe the Earth is flat (4%)." The figures are for Americans overall and for age cohorts; the survey does not isolate pilots or aviation professionals, and does not claim that 10% of pilots hold flat‑Earth beliefs.

Experts told AAP FactCheck the claim is ridiculous and the earth's curvature is always taken into account – by engineers planning major projects and pilots when following the shortest route to a destination. Pilots rely on the curvature of the earth to fly the shortest distance between two points, which follows the great circle distance, not a straight line as represented on a two-dimensional map. The claim that civil engineers and aircraft pilots never factor in the earth’s curve was rated "False". The article does not present any data suggesting that a sizable proportion of pilots think the Earth is flat.

Pilots are taught to work with the fact that Earth is a sphere. It is part of the education to become a pilot. Their job depends on the knowledge that Earth is a sphere. Some pilots might even be actual flat-Earthers. Pilots are human beings, and they are not immune to psychological problems, just like people of another profession. Quite obviously, these people are a clear minority.

The University of Melbourne’s Pursuit platform, discussing why some people believe the Earth is flat, cites polling data: "In fact, a recent YouGov poll found that only around two-thirds of Americans aged between 18 and 24 believe that the Earth is round." This implies that a minority in that age group are unsure or reject a round Earth, but again this refers to age‑based segments of the general public. The article does not present any data about pilots specifically or suggest that 10% of pilots endorse flat‑Earth views.

When we finally set the parking brake after the last leg of my first circumnavigation, I calculated—I still have the logs—that we had flown 26,532 nm in 56 hours and 55 minutes; consumed 738,900 pounds of fuel; carried 1,409 passengers on 16 legs; and proved once again that the Earth is not flat. Professional pilots routinely rely on great circle routes and other procedures that assume a spherical Earth.

A nationwide survey conducted by the Carsey School of Public Policy found that roughly 10% of Americans believe the Earth is flat, revealing a growing divide in public acceptance of established scientific facts. Researchers highlighted a significant generational gap within the findings, noting that belief in flat Earth claims remains nearly nonexistent among older generations but rises sharply among Millennials, where support approaches approximately 18%.

Pilots rely on navigation systems that account for Earth's curvature. Flight paths and GPS calculations would not work if the planet were flat. At high altitudes, particularly above 35,000 feet, the curvature of the Earth becomes faintly visible to pilots and passengers. This visibility and the way aircraft routes are planned are consistent with a spherical Earth. The article explains how scientific evidence and practical aviation experience show Earth is round, and it does not provide any quantitative estimate of how many pilots might believe in a flat Earth.

The overwhelming claim from professional pilots in this discussion is that no airline pilots believe the Earth is flat. One pilot comments: "95% of professional pilots are educated. The other 5% are a few pilots with some screws loose. I can promise you, if they say the earth is flat they are trolling! Everything we do and the way we fly is calculated on the earths curvature." Another user states flatly: "No. There are no pilots who are flat earthers."

In this aviation forum thread, one commercial pilot writes: "I've never met a flat earther professional pilot. It's pretty hard to be on the flat earth train when you fly airplanes for a living and have to deal with, ya know, the curvature of the earth and all when planning routes." The same commenter allows that "it would not surprise me that there are private pilots who subscribe to flat earth," but suggests that commercial aviators who are flat-Earth believers would be far fewer "by a lot."

This flat-Earth discussion group post asserts without evidence that the "majority" of pilots say the Earth is flat, defining majority as "51% of 333,000 airline pilots and that's not including private pilots." The commenter provides no survey data, methodology, or source to support this numerical claim, and it is presented as an opinion within a Facebook group rather than as the result of a formal study.

Across the three surveys they find that around 20–30% of respondents are at least to some extent uncertain that the shape of the earth is round. Currently 60% of people are 100% certain that the earth is round, 24% more certain than not, 5% which looks like probably one person is certain the earth is flat and not joking, and 10% are other. Again about 30% were not completely certain.

Outpost Magazine, in an article about whether it is possible to see the curvature of the Earth, notes public opinion data: "Google Trends have reported a sharp increase in people searching 'Is the Earth flat?' over the past few months, and a poll in the British newspaper The Telegraph had 7% taking BoB’s side." This 7% figure refers to respondents in a Telegraph poll who sided with a flat‑Earth‑sympathetic position, not to pilots. The article does not mention pilots or any claim that 10% of pilots are flat‑Earthers.

This flat-Earth advocacy post claims: "Surprisingly, around 2% to 10% of individuals in surveyed populations hold the belief in a flat Earth. Notably, that upper 10% corresponds to the lowest IQ bracket, specifically those scoring 80 or below." The text refers to "surveyed populations" in general and does not indicate that any of the cited percentages come from surveys of pilots specifically.

This Facebook post in a pilots' group discusses flat-Earth claims and states that "Most pilots believe the earth is round, citing experiences like watching the sunset from different altitudes and seeing the curvature of the earth." Participants use operational experiences to argue against the idea that pilots commonly believe the Earth is flat.

In 2026, millions still believe the Earth is flat. A 2021 survey found that around 10% of the United States population believed that the earth is flat. In 2024, one in five Brazilians believed in the flat earth concept. Flat-eartherism is more prevalent in millennials than in older folks, with only 66% of millennials firmly believing the earth is round.

Pilots who subscribe to the belief that the Earth is flat risk having their medical certification revoked, and this is a justified consequence, according to one commenter familiar with aviation regulations. Another user states: "I've encountered perhaps two individuals who sincerely think the Earth is flat. I actually shared a jumpseat with one of them." This suggests that flat-Earth-believing pilots are rare within that person's experience. The thread is anecdotal discussion among flight attendants and aviation workers, not a formal survey, and it does not support any claim that 10% of pilots are flat-Earthers.

In this discussion aimed at debunking flat-Earth misconceptions, the poster introduces an interview with a professional pilot and states: "There are no flat earth pilots." The claim is presented as a categorical statement based on the interviewed pilot's experience, but no quantitative survey of the pilot population is provided in the thread.

This flat-Earth forum thread repeats the argument found on flatearth.ws: "Some pilots might even be actual flat-Earthers. Pilots are human beings, and they are not immune to psychological problems, just like people of another profession. Quite obviously, these people are a clear minority. Just because a few pilots have this particular psychological problem, it does not mean all pilots are like that." The discussion thus acknowledges that a very small number of pilots may hold flat-Earth beliefs while emphasizing that they are rare.

Another Facebook post about flat‑Earth beliefs and pilots references a viral claim: "1 in 10 Americans Still Believe the Earth Is Flat" and adds, "I have no idea what to believe but I can see why some people may think that and the fact even pilots now are saying they believe in it." In the same comment thread, a respondent counters: "Pilots are not saying they believe in it." The discussion is informal and does not link to an underlying survey; no systematic polling of pilots is provided, and the 1‑in‑10 figure refers to Americans generally, not pilots specifically.

In this opinion piece, an airline pilot writes: "I can assert with confidence that our planet, the third one from the sun, is an oblate spheroid, commonly referred to as a sphere." The article describes the author's interaction with a barber who tried to convince him the Earth is flat, and the pilot contrasts this with his professional experience and training, implying that pilots are taught and generally accept that Earth is not flat.

This Wikipedia article on modern flat Earth beliefs summarizes several opinion polls of general populations, not pilots. It reports that a 2018 YouGov poll found around 4% of the population of the United States believed in a flat Earth, a 2021 POLES survey found around 10% of the United States population believed that Earth is flat, and a 2020 Datafolha poll reported that 7% of Brazilians believed in a flat Earth. None of these polls provide specific data on the beliefs of pilots.

Members of the Flat Earth Society claim to believe the Earth is flat. Flat-earthers believe photos of the globe are photoshopped; GPS devices are rigged to make airplane pilots think they are flying in straight lines around a sphere when they are actually flying in circles above a disc. Judging by the exhaustive effort flat-earthers have invested in fleshing out the theory on their website, as well as the staunch defenses of their views they offer in media interviews and on Twitter, it would seem that these people genuinely believe the Earth is flat.