Which Soap Star Can Claim That They Are A Licensed Pilot?

Everybody needs a hobby – your favorite soap stars included. Some collect, some knit, some slave away over a hot stove. Others prefer more daring fare.

Which Soap Star Is It?

All of these actresses are either an alum of a long-ago classic – like As the World Turns – or they currently star in, or are alums of, one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless. But only one of them can claim that she is a licensed pilot.

But who can that actress be? Is it Meg Ryan (ex-Betsy Stewart Andropoulos, ATWT), Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester, BB), Kristian Alfonso (Hope Williams Brady, DAYS), Emma Samms (ex-Holly Sutton, GH), or Kate Linder (Esther Valentine, YR)?

Meg Ryan

She’s not a real-life aviator, but Ryan has played one on the silver screen. In Edward Zwick’s 1996 effort Courage Under Fire, Ryan starred (in flashbacks) as the late Captain Karen Emma Walden, the commander of a Medevac Huey helicopter.

Kristian Alfonso

Alfonso’s hobbies of choice include listening to music (preferably James Ingram or the band Gipsy Kings), traveling, and designing jewelry – not soaring through the skies in an “iron eagle.”

Emma Samms

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Holly Sutton, the former wife of WSB graduate Robert Scorpio, is missing in action and presumed dead. It’s a present-day plot point that’s a retread of one scripted over 35 years ago – the one difference being that Holly was originally believed to have perished in a plane crash rather than a sabotaged submarine.

Kate Linder

When Linder joined the cast of YR as the ever efficient – though highly inquisitive – Esther, it probably seemed to the actress merely an extension of her day job. After all, airline stewardesses have to don uniforms, acquiesce to any requests, and deal with all manner of “guests” – and we’re sure they’re a few real Jill Abbotts out there in the world.

Susan Flannery

During a particularly intimate moment with husband Eric, Stephanie Forrester once admitted to always wanting to learn how to fly a helicopter. That line was no doubt a subtle nod to the fact that Flannery – actress, director, producer, and gourmet cook – is herself a licensed pilot.

So, if you guessed that the soap star in question was Susan Flannery, then you were absolutely correct!