Ford began flight training in the 1960s at Wild Rose Idlewild Airport in Wild Rose, Wisconsin, flying in a Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer, but at $15 an hour, he could not afford to continue the training.
Junija 1983, pri štiridesetih, je med snemanjem filma "Indiana Jones in tempelj smrti" v Londonu poškodoval hrbet, zaradi česar je moral odleteti na nujno operacijo v Los Angeles.