This is the unbelievable moment a dog became the first canine to ever pilot a plane.

Shadow the dog used his paws to steer a jet around a figure-of-eight circuit at 3,000ft following weeks of training.

Shadow, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier-Collie, was one of three dogs to go through flight school as part of Sky 1 series Dogs Might Fly.

The aircraft's controls were modified so Shadow could hit buttons in response to certain sounds.

His human co-pilot got Shadow airborne before the pooch pilot took the controls.

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The courageous canine was scouted from thousands of abandoned and was just 22 hours away from being put down when he was selected.

Shadow the dog became the first pooch to fly a plane
Shadow had to fly a figure-of-eight circuit at 3,000ft

Animal expert Charlotte Wilde said: “We set out to show that dogs have extraordinary abilities, and flight was the ultimate test.

"Each year 5,000 dogs just like Shadow are put down, but through this show we wanted to demonstrate just what remarkable and intelligent animals they are."

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However, Stanley Coren, professor of canine psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver has criticised the show.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier underwent weeks of training (
Image:
SKY 1)
The plane was fitted out with a host of safety features for the filming (
Image:
SKY 1)

He told The Independent: "Given that we would not expect a human three-year-old to be able to fly a plane, I would not expect that a dog could do so either."

Producers worked alongside the Civil Aviation Authority to meet strict safety guidelines while filming the series.

The Dogs Might Fly finalé airs on Sky 1 on Sunday at 7pm.