Sung by Joey, Ambrose and Stu, “Sad Pilot” is a bluesy rocker in the vein of bands like The Black Crowes. The lyrics describe someone whose life is crumbling around them, leaving them asking if they’re really living. Their struggles with mental health, alcoholism, dying relationships, and more leave them feeling hollow. While they try to figure these issues out with psychologists, nobody seems to care, and the subject is left to their own devices. They attempt to leave their “heavy luggage” behind by taking flight into the blue skies, and this seems to help them, with the song’s protagonist noting how there’s “always blue skies ahead.” The song’s blues/southern rock feel and hopeful message create an honest, uplifting track.
The studio version was played by Ambrose (piano/vocals), Cavs (drums/percussion/vocals), Cook (organ/vocals), Joey (guitar/vocals), Lucas (vocals) and Stu (bass/guitar/vocals). The ASCAP ACE Repertory shows that everyone but Lucas received a songwriting credit.
The song made its debut on 2024-05-16 at the Stadthalle in Offenbach, appearing in a long opening jam of “Gamma Knife” > “People-Vultures” > “Mr. Beat” > “Boogieman Sam” > “Sad Pilot” > “Hot Water” > “Sea of Trees.” While some guessed that the song’s title was “Jet Bridge” or something from the lyrics, its name was confirmed through the show’s setlist. This made “Sad Pilot” the first song from Flight b741 to be known by fans. “Sad Pilot” would be played four more times before the album’s release including an acoustic performance on 2024-05-31 and extensively teases during songs like “The Dripping Tap” and “Cut Throat Boogie”.
“Sad Pilot” was released as part of Flight b741 on August 9th, 2024 and later issued as the b-side of “Antarctica” for a 7” single sold at the Austin Record Fair on 2024-11-15.
“Sad Pilot” continued to be played throughout 2024 with no distinct changes. While it initially started as a standalone track, it was commonly seen in a suite featuring “Rats In The Sky” and “Daily Blues” by the end of the year.