Celebrity Pilots.In honor of National Aviation Day, we take a look at actors, singers and other celebrities who are licensed pilots. You probably already know about John Travolta, who has parking for his jets outside his house. See which other stars have found a place in the skies.
Tom Cruise
pilot tom cruise 1941 Boeing Stearman
Cruise may have gotten his taste for flying when he starred in this successful aviator flick. He's been piloting planes since the mid-1990s and now flies his family all over the world.Tom Cruise couldn't contain his excitement after he co-piloted a massive 1941 Boeing Stearman plane.
The 'Top Gun' star took the controls of the historic double-decker aircraft on the German set of his new World War II movie 'Valkyrie'.
Tom exclaimed, "Wow, wow, what a machine this is", but instead of pressing the button to speak to his co-pilot he pressed the button to transmit to the control tower, meaning the tower and all other flyers heard his delight.
However, that was the only in-air mistake he made, according to his co-pilot Thomas Schuttoff, 43.
James Franco
Jame Franco pilots license research "Flyboys"
Is there anything this guy can't do? Franco is getting his Ph.D. at an Ivy League school, starring in critically acclaimed films and teaching a class at New York University. He has also hosted the Academy Awards. After all that, his pilot's license sounds like a no-brainer.
Angelina Jolie
angelina jolie pilot son birthday.Angelina Jolie learned to pilot planes for her son’s birthday.What’s the greatest gift a celebrity could give their son?Knowing that her eldest son, Maddox, loved planes, Angelina Jolie learned how to fly them for his birthday.
“When Maddox was one and a half, we used to go to the airfield, have lunch and watch the planes,” she said. “And it dawned on me: I could fly. So I promised him I would fly by his second birthday.”
ANGELINA JOLIE (Actor)
STUDENT PILOT 06/23/2004
PRIVATE PILOT (FOREIGN BASED) 07/29/2005
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
Limits: ISSUED ON BASIS OF AND VALID ONLY WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY UNITED KINGDOM PILOT LICENSE NUMBER(S) UK/PP433873A/A. ALL LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS ON THE UNITED KINGDOM PILOT LICENSE APPLY
If she keeps adding to her brood Jolie may need to get a bigger plane. Meanwhile, she's busy working on this upcoming film and continuing her humanitarian work.
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford pilot fascinated aviation young age
Ford started training in the 1960s, but didn't get his license until the 1990s. He once headed an organization for young airplane enthusiasts, is involved with an aviation organization with a humanitarian focus and appears in a much-anticipated summer flick.
HARRISON FORD (Actor)
PRIVATE PILOT 05/06/2005 (Last Update)
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE SEA
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
Type Ratings: P/CE-525
Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid "pilot's license" 1983 Gordon Cooper "The Right Stuff"
DENNIS WILLIAM QUAID (Actor)
PRIVATE PILOT 06/17/1994
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
Type Ratings: P/CE-500
Could it have been his role in this space flick that fueled his desire to fly the friendly skies? Quaid , who played the dad of a surfer in this movie, has another hobby that keeps him on the ground.
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood flew helicopter avoid traffic
Early in the acting career of this Oscar-winning director, CLint Eastwood, he played a squadron pilot in a 1955 horror flick, Tarantula (1955). His next project: a biopic of a controversial figure, "J. Edgar" Clint Eastwood 2012.Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar, The Aviator, Clint Eastwood flew helicopter avoid traffic
CLINT EASTWOOD (Actor)
PRIVATE PILOT 06/06/1989
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
Morgan Freeman
+Morgan Freeman dreamed of becoming fighter pilot
He narrated a movie about birds that can't get off the ground, March of the Penguins , but Freeman himself loves to fly. He didn't earn his license, Morgan Freeman pilot license , until age 65 and now owns three private planes. Earlier this year, he scored a role in this highly anticipated film , The Dark Knight Rises. +Morgan Freeman dreamed of becoming fighter pilot
MORGAN FREEMAN (Actor)
PRIVATE PILOT 03/02/2005
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
Jimmy Buffett
+Jimmy Buffett love of flying college
Buffett has been flying for more than 20 years, with hit songs like these supporting his hobby. Watch him perform. Jimmy Buffett has been flying for over twenty years now. His love of flying first blossomed when he was in college. A friend of his at the University of Southern Mississippi was a pilot and introduced him to flying. Jimmy had a flight lesson here or there but it didn't amount to much in the early days. Money was tight and flying is certainly not cheap. As a notable sign found in airports says, "If God had intended man to fly, he would've given him more money."
JAMES WILLIAM BUFFETT "Jimmy" (Singer)
COMMERCIAL PILOT 10/04/2004
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND & SEA
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
PRIVATE PRIVILEGES
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND & SEA
Type Ratings: C/CE-500 C/DA-50 C/G-111
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas "Air America" appetite for aviation
This actor from a recent cult hit movie has both commercial and helicopter licenses. He's been married several times , has six children and his breakout role was on this TV show.
LORENZO FERNANDO LAMAS
COMMERCIAL PILOT 12/09/2002
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell "Flying has taught me more about who I really am than anything I’ve ever done. I take very calculated risks."
The longtime partner of this actress, Russell is a licensed pilot and an honorary board member of this aviation organization.Airport Journals recently had a wonderful and inspirational profile about actor/pilot Kurt Russell that is well worth reading by pilots, aspiring pilots and their families.
According to the article, Russell’s grandfather was an aerobatic pilot with over 45,000 hours who flew "well into his sixties" and had also spent time as a senior check captain for TWA and a test pilot for Howard Hughes. However, Russell himself never took up the opportunity to fly with his grandfather – a decision he came to regret as it was not until 1988 when he himself finally caught the flying bug and began his pilot training under the watchful eye of his grandfather.
Since then, Russell has owned a Rockwell Commander, Cessna Crusader, Cessna 414, Cessna Conquest, and fractional ownership of a Piaggio Avanti 180 but its his Starduster biplane that is his favorite. Russell is also an instrument rated pilot due to the marine layer that regularly blankets coastal Santa Monica. However, Russell was quoted as saying that he often flies IFR even when local conditions don’t call for it just to stay sharp and he recommends IFR training for all pilots as it makes navigating air traffic safer.
KURT VOGEL RUSSELL (Actor)
PRIVATE PILOT 12/02/1992
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
Arnold Palmer +arnold palmer pilot fly himself to tournaments
One of the world's most famous golfers Palmer. has been flying since 1956. Find out when he took his final flight and why.
ARNOLD DANIEL PALMER (Golfer b1929-)
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
Type Ratings: P/CE-500 P/CE-650 P/CE-750 P/LR-JET
Dr. Phil oprah fear of flying
Licensed since 1976, Dr. Phil McGraw was flying long before he became a household name. His TV show took a hit after he tried to help a troubled pop star; his books and advice remain hot commodities.
George W. Bush Air National Guard
A licensed pilot since 1969, the former president famously co-piloted a fighter jet onto an aircraft carrier in 2003 to make a much-maligned declaration about the war in Iraq.
GEORGE WALKER BUSH (President)
COMMERCIAL PILOT 12/08/1969
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
david lee roth jump
Best known for fronting this band in the 1980s, Roth (photos) has been a helicopter pilot since 2006. He last toured in 2007 and is back in the studio with this guitarist's son. Watch him perform.
Van Halen-Jump
DAVID LEE ROTH (Singer)
PRIVATE PILOT 12/12/2006
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
Friday, August 19, 2011
Celebrity Pilots
3:57 AM
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