Ewan McGregor and His Brother Reminisce about Airshows and Flying Fighter Planes

Star Wars star Ewan McGregor can be seen flying spaceships and wielding lightsabers for a good amount of time in the iconic movie series.

However, Ewan’s love for flying isn’t something that’s limited to his character Obi-Wan in Star Wars. In fact, the actor and his brother, Colin McGregor, are both passionate about aircraft and flying.

The McGregors have even flown many well-known military aircraft together, including the original Lancaster Bomber and Eurofighter Typhoon.

Ewan McGregor and His Brother Reminisce about Airshows and Flying

Ewan has shared stories of his and his brother’s love for airshows and flying on multiple occasions.

When talking about Armchair Airshow 2020, Ewan and Colin shared that they developed an interest in aircraft and flying from an early age. Their father, who had a similar interest, would take his sons to different airshows.

Ewan shared a little about his earliest memories of going to an airshow.

“I remember Strathallan, going to the airshows in Strathallan. I don’t remember particular airplanes or anything,” he said. 

“I must have been too little, really. But I remember the feeling of it. The excitement of being there and the smell of the airplanes. I remember the hangar, the sort of musty, oily smell of those old airplanes in the hangar, which I loved and still love.”

Ewan McGregor and his brother Colin McGregor reminisce about their first airshow (Source: YouTube)

Colin, who is older than Ewan, also shared his memories, which were much clearer. 

Who Is Ewan McGregor’s Brother?

Colin is a former fighter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force for 20 years. During his service, he flew a Tornado GR4.

He saw active service in Iraq and when he retired in 2007; he trained the next generation of instructors.

Like his brother, Colin has also appeared in a few movies and documentaries. The McGregor brothers were both present in Trainspotting 2. However, Colin didn’t have a talking part.

“I was an extra in the background when they’re on the tram in Edinburgh,” he said of his role in the movie. “I didn’t have a line because I wanted to leave the real acting to him!”

Colin has also appeared in multiple documentaries. He appeared as himself in the 2007 mini-series documentary Long Way Down, as well as the 2010 movie documentary titled The Battle of Britain.

Both Colin and Ewan presented the 2012 documentary Bomber Boys. It was also for this documentary that the McGregors flew an original Lancaster Bomber.

‘RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin McGregor’

Back in 2018, Ewan and Colin teamed up for RAF at 100 with Ewan and Colin McGregor, a 90-minute long documentary made to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Air Force.

During the 90 minute runtime, Colin and Ewan can be seen flying some of the most important military aircraft in history, including a replica of a first world war BE2.

The McGregors also interview service personnel from throughout the RAF’s history. Some individuals featured were former female members of the Air Transport Auxiliary, as well as a veteran of the Battle of Britain.