Doctor Who: Every Character Who Can Fly The TARDIS
The Doctor Who universe is massive - but not everyone can TARDIS their way through it.
Even though it looks like an old, worn-down police box that's in desperate need of a paintjob, the TARDIS is one of the most technologically-advanced pieces of kit in the Doctor Who universe - hell, in any pop-culture universe, full-stop.
It's bigger on the inside, it can travel in time and space, it's full of organic material, it contains a maze-like web of corridors and rooms, and to top it all off... it's a little bit sentient. Basically, TARDISes have feelings - so, unless you want to be flung out into the endless void of space, do try not to piss one off.
Considering the complicated inner workings of the TARDIS - and the fact that they're incredibly rare machines, pretty much exclusive to the planet Gallifrey - very few individuals in the show are capable of flying one, making these characters some of the most fascinating and unique figures in Doctor Who lore.
For the purposes of this list, characters who might've fiddled with the controls from time to time (Nyssa, Donna) or characters who could only operate the TARDIS with the Doctor's help (Amy Pond in The Lodger) won't count - we're only looking for characters who can successfully fly the TARDIS from A-to-B all by themselves.
7. River Song
From her very first appearance in Silence In The Library, it was made abundantly clear that River Song was no ordinary acquaintance of the Doctor's. It was heavily implied that the two had a deep, personal connection, and this is something that was slowly explored over the next several years of the show.
Along the way, we learned her true identity, we found out how she got her sonic screwdriver, and we were also shown that she can pilot the TARDIS quite capably, with no input required from the Doctor himself.
In fact, River seems to know more about the TARDIS than the Doctor does. In Series 5's The Time Of Angels, she shows him how to shut the brakes off before landing, which, to his immense disappointment, means that the ship no longer makes its famous "wheezing" noise.
As for how River learned to fly the TARDIS in the first place... well, that's a little complicated. In the Series 5 finale, she tells the Doctor that he taught her, but in Series 6's Let's Kill Hitler, she claims that the TARDIS itself showed her the ropes (which does make a lot of sense, considering that River was conceived in a TARDIS bedroom).
So, maybe it's a bit of both - the TARDIS taught her the basics when she desperately needed them, but the Doctor gave her some advanced training further down the line.