Tom and Erik Lake: Father-Son Commercial Co-Pilots

For Tom and Erik Lake, the passion for aviation runs in the family. This extraordinary father and son team has logged almost 500 hours together on the flight deck. Tom was his son’s Captain when he took his first flight as a commercial airline pilot, and Erik was his dad’s First Officer on Tom’s last commercial flight. The experiences in between their career milestones created a captivating narrative of a real and rare family legacy on the flight deck.

In this episode, Erik talks about his journey into aviation through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and shares advice for aspiring aviators. Tom, who has trained countless aviators, imparts his wisdom after retiring from a rewarding career that spanned over three decades.

Share this episode with friends, family, and colleagues. This story might just inspire a future family lineage of pilots. Are you interested in becoming a pilot? Check out the FAA's Pilots Portal to learn more about training and certification.

Meet Our Guests 
Tom Lake and Erik Lake are father and son commercial airline pilots who logged more than 500 hours flying together on two different aircraft over six years. Erik first learned to fly as a teenager when his dad taught him in tail-wheel airplanes. He started his aviation career as an Officer in the Air Force Reserves and flew the KC-135R and KC-46A air refueling aircraft conducting three deployments in his career so far. He later joined the airlines as a First Officer and the flew the MD-88, Boeing 737, and currently the A-320. On Instagram, Erik shares his life as a pilot as erik_cleared_for_takeoff. Tom retired in May 2024 after 34 years of service flying for a commercial airline. He served in the Air Force prior to the airlines as an active duty and reserve pilot over a fourteen-year period. He flew the C-141 Starlifter during that time and conducted special operations missions in various conflicts as well as during Desert Storm. In his airline career, Tom flew the Boeing 727, L-1011, Boeing 767, MD-88, and A-320. Both Tom and Erik still fly together in General Aviation aircraft today!