While Pink Floyd reigned supreme during the 1970s, they faced some challenges during the changing times of the 1980s.  It was during this decade that bassist/lyricist/co-lead vocalist Roger Waters quit the band leaving Pink Floyd’s future uncertain.

Despite the circumstance, David Gilmour came through and kept Pink Floyd’s popularity up the charts, literally.  Along with taking the reigns in songwriting, Gilmour also faced his fear of flying by taking up pilot lessons.  This inspired him to write the song “Learning To Fly.”  The song was released on September 14th, 1987 and reached #1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.  It was clear 35 years ago from today that Pink Floyd wasn’t going anywhere.  

Celebrate the 35th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Learning To Fly by watching its official music video here: