Ele certamente foi autorizado a voar durante a TNG, e o fez regularmente durante o show, passando de um Aeronave de propulsão Cessna para um instrutor de jato militar CASA entre a 5ª e a 7ª temporada da TNG , depois se graduando para um jato T-33 (potencialmente) supersônico durante as filmagens da primeira temporada do DS9.
MD: It’s a dream come true. I was always a student of airplanes and aviation since I was a kid . What happened was that we had a writer’s strike after the first year of ‘Star Trek’ so we had five months off, and a guy I knew that was a pilot said come on, we’ve got to do this . You’ve got to go out there. I said you’re right. I went out there–took my introductory flight and I was hooked. Nobody could find me during the day because I was out at the airport flying. Then, to make a long story just a little bit longer, during, I think, the third or fourth season of ‘Star Trek’, one of the producers on ‘Cheers’ called me and they said that Woody Harrelson was invited to fly out with the Blue Angels, but he couldn’t do it. Do you want to go? So I flew out. They pulled me out there. I had a twin engine Cessna in between the F-18’s and parked it there. Of course, I’m the coolest guy in the world, and so when I flew with them it was eye opening. I discovered that you could own these airplanes. So I started researching it , the rules and regulations and what’s available, and all these airplanes were available for pretty cheap. So, I took my time, learned how to fly, and I went through the same type of process the air force pilots go through. And got to the F-86 and it just kinda happened. It was amazing.
‘Star Trek’ actor Michael Dorn chats latest projects and flying jets
A versão da história que eu li é que o contrato de Dorn para o primeiro filme TNG incluía a estipulação de que ele não voaria como Piloto-em-Comando (por exemplo vôo solo) durante a filmagem principal, uma cláusula contratual bastante comum para atores de cinema com licenças de piloto ou que participam de esportes arriscados como escalada ou futebol , etc.