Learning to Fly: How Pink Floyd Used Aviation Imagery to Rebuild After Waters

The most interesting takeaway is that the aviation metaphors in “Learning to Fly” weren’t just poetic—they mirrored David Gilmour’s real-life flight lessons and the band’s struggle to regain altitude after Roger Waters walked away. Gilmour took up flying in the early 80s, and the song’s lyrics like “the endless vertigo” and “tongue-tied and twisted” capture both the terror of solo flight