Pope Leo XIV takes cockpit seat aboard Peruvian military helicopter | WATCH

Pope Leo XIV got a rare cockpit view of the Andes during a 40-minute helicopter ride over Peru on Saturday. The pontiff climbed into the cockpit of a Peruvian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter, wearing a headset as he sat between the two pilots. The flight took him from Chiclayo to the mountain town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, more than 6,000 feet above sea level. Videos shared by the Peruvian Air Force show Leo wearing a headset and seated between the two pilots in the cockpit. The pontiff was also seen looking out of the aircraft as it flew over the mountain ridges and valleys.

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The Pope boarded a Peruvian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter in Chiclayo and travelled around 40 minutes east to the remote Andean town of Santa Cruz de Succhabamba, located more than 6,000 feet above sea level. With no local airstrip, the helicopter was needed to reach the mountain community. While Pope Leo has previously visited aircraft cockpits during his international journeys, this was his first time doing so aboard a military helicopter.

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During a flight from Madrid to Barcelona in June 2026, the Pope reportedly sat in the cockpit jumpseat of an Iberia Airbus A320. He wore a headset and spoke over the radio with Spanish Air Force F-18 fighter pilots escorting the aircraft. He also asked questions about the plane's engines.

On another journey to France in 2026, Leo reportedly visited the flight deck of an Air France aircraft and used the radio to speak with French Rafale fighter pilots flying alongside his plane. He also offered them a blessing.

Earlier in November 2026, during the same South American tour, he was also photographed seated in the cockpit as his aircraft approached Buenos Aires. The images added to a growing collection of moments in which the Pope has stepped away from his passenger seat to meet the people responsible for flying him across countries. These visits have become a distinctive feature of his papal travels. Rather than limiting his interactions to formal greetings, Leo appears keen to engage with pilots, learn about their work and experience the flight from their perspective.

His latest trip over Peru's mountainous terrain took this interest a step further. This time, instead of a commercial passenger aircraft, he was aboard a Peruvian military helicopter, flying over the Andes to a remote community he knew from his years as Bishop of Chiclayo.

For the pilots, it was an unusual passenger in the cockpit. For the Pope, it was another opportunity to get closer to the crew and see the journey from their side of the aircraft.