Definition
Aerosexual is a slang term for someone who is sexually attracted to or aroused by airplanes, aviation, or the experience of flying. It’s a niche paraphilia that falls under the broader umbrella of object sexuality — being attracted to objects, structures, or machines rather than people. While not a widely recognized clinical term, “aerosexual” circulates in internet subcultures, fetish communities, and the endless taxonomy of human attraction that the internet both documents and creates.
Why It Matters
Aerosexual is less about the specific attraction and more about what it represents: the internet’s ability to name, categorize, and normalize even the most specific human experiences. Before the web, someone attracted to airplanes might have thought they were alone. Now they can find forums, communities, and even dating sites for people who share their interest. The term also highlights the absurdity of language itself — we have a word for everything now, including being turned on by a Boeing 747. Whether aerosexuality is “real” in a clinical sense is less interesting than the fact that we now live in a world where it’s discussed, documented, and occasionally memed.
Example
“He didn’t understand why he felt nervous excitement at the airport until he found a forum for aerosexuals. Suddenly, his childhood obsession with model airplanes, his preference for window seats, and the way he stared at the wings during turbulence all made sense. He wasn’t just a nervous flyer. He was something else entirely.”
The LMAAIFY Angle
Aerosexual is the internet doing what the internet does best: taking something extremely specific, giving it a name, and making it just searchable enough to ruin your targeted ads forever. The term itself is almost poetic. “Aero” — air, flight, freedom. “Sexual” — well, you know. Put them together and you have someone who looks at a jet engine and feels things. The aviation industry probably didn’t intend for their aircraft to be objects of desire, but here we are. The best part? There’s almost certainly a subreddit. There’s a subreddit for everything. And somewhere in that subreddit, someone is posting a photo of a Airbus A380 with the caption “look at those curves.” The internet is a beautiful, terrifying place. Also, if you’re aerosexual, please don’t try to join the Mile High Club alone. TSA already has enough to deal with.
Related Terms
- Object Sexuality — The broader category of attraction to objects
- Mechanophilia — Attraction to machines, the clinical cousin of aerosexual
- Mile High Club — The more mainstream aviation-related sexual reference
- Paraphilia — The clinical term for atypical sexual interests
- Niche Internet Subculture — The ecosystem where aerosexual lives