The Sky's The Limit: 10 Celebrities Who Know How To Fly A Plane
For ultra-wealthy celebrities with a busy schedule, the type that needs to get across the country fast, there's only one way to do it: by private jet. The ability to travel thousands of miles in just a few hours can make a huge difference to their careers, giving them the ability to make multiple appearances across the country in a single day, or attend social events while working around their filming or performance commitments. To enable such a lifestyle, these celebs usually rely on having a pilot on hand to ferry them around, but a few have taken matters into their own hands and decided to get their pilot's license themselves.
It's not just for business, either — plenty of these celebs simply enjoy flying, and have a personal aircraft or two of their own to take out when they've got some time off. Some originally learned to fly planes as part of their working roles, but many just got their license simply because they wanted to be able to commandeer their own aircraft, be that a cutting-edge Gulfstream jet or a vintage fighter plane.
Tom Cruise
Movie star and noted adrenaline junkie Tom Cruise has a huge collection of vehicles, ranging from exotic and rare cars to motorcycles, yachts, and even a handful of private planes. As you'd expect from the man who famously prefers to do his own stunts, Cruise is fully qualified to fly all of them, and has had a pilot's license since 1994. That means in most cases, when Cruise's characters are seen flying jets or helicopters in movies, it's all real. There are a few exceptions, though — in "Top Gun: Maverick," Cruise wasn't actually allowed to fly the fighter jet, as it was too valuable and potentially too dangerous. However, he still sat behind Navy pilots to film the aerial footage, so the shots of him in the jet, while it's doing acrobatics in the air, are genuine, even if he's not actually piloting the aircraft.
The actor's connection to fighter planes extends beyond his on-screen roles and into his personal collection — he reportedly owns a vintage P-51 Mustang, which he recently used to film a message accepting his MTV Movie award for his role in the "Top Gun" sequel. Incidentally, his personal plane also features at the end of that film. He's also thought to own a couple of private jets, including a HondaJet HA-420 and a Gulfstream IV G4.
Harrison Ford
Another A-lister who's famous for blockbuster action films is Harrison Ford, and like Tom Cruise, his fascination with flying goes back decades. In fact, Ford first started learning to fly before he ever got famous, reportedly taking his first lessons in the '60s before his financial situation at the time forced him to stop. After he made it in Hollywood and had the funds to take a second shot, Ford eventually earned his certification in the mid-'90s. In recent years, Ford has been involved in several high-profile aviation incidents, the latest of those being in 2020, when he crossed a runway by accident at Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles.
He's been given the all-clear to continue flying after each incident, despite calls by some for him to step back from piloting aircraft altogether. Ford was having none of it and continues to fly both planes and helicopters to this day. Over the years, he's also been actively involved in several flying charities and has even used his personal helicopter for multiple mountain rescue and wildfire missions around California.
Tim McGraw
It's not just movie stars who can fly themselves to and from their engagements — prolific country singer Tim McGraw drew headlines in 2019 when he flew his Cirrus Vision SF50 to a music festival in Kentucky, then flew home to Nashville after his appearance at the event. He's flown Cirrus planes for years and has even participated in various promotional videos for the brand explaining why he likes his plane so much. His wife, fellow singer Faith Hill, was reportedly not keen on him learning to fly at first, but after McGraw quit drinking, learning to fly became a way to distract himself, and eventually, she agreed he should buy his own plane.
He's not looked back since and is known to fly both himself and his friends to events and engagements. Flying reportedly runs in the family too, as his father had a career as a helicopter pilot in the Army, and was a key source of wisdom when McGraw was initially learning the ropes.
Morgan Freeman
Before he became an actor, Morgan Freeman served in the Air Force, although ironically, he never flew during his service. Instead, he worked as an electronics technician on the ground, specializing in radar. It would take many more years for Freeman to get his pilot's certification, which reportedly happened because of a chance interaction with one of his business partners. The unnamed partner took the actor for a trip over the Mississippi River in a Piper Seneca, and asked Freeman to hold the controls while he took some photos.
Freeman quickly realized he had a knack for flying the aircraft, enlisting the help of a flight instructor in July 2002 and getting his certification just three months later. He's owned a variety of aircraft over the years, including multiple Cessnas and an Emivest SJ30, and has been known to fly himself to festivals and appearances directly from his home in Mississippi.
Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson is the frontman of one of the most legendary metal bands of all time, Iron Maiden, but when he's not playing to thousands of fans, he has a second job. For years, Dickinson piloted a Boeing 757 for the charter airline Astraeus Airlines, and when that company folded, he set up his own aviation firm which continues to operate today. The company, of which the musician is now 100% shareholder and chairman, specializes in aircraft maintenance and has contracts with some of Europe's leading airlines including Irish carrier Ryanair and German package holiday provider TUI.
In addition to flying himself, Dickinson's company also owns simulators that other commercial pilots can learn to fly with. It seems the singer's side hustle has become his full-time gig, but its success hasn't stopped Dickinson from continuing to record and tour with Iron Maiden. At the time of writing, the band is currently on a European tour and is scheduled to play a handful of dates in North America afterward. It remains to be seen whether Dickinson will be flying his bandmates there, or whether he'll let someone else take the yoke this time.
John Travolta
Another high-profile aviation enthusiast is actor John Travolta, who went one step further than most celebs in ensuring his access to planes was as easy as possible: he actually lives at an airport. Specifically, he lives at a house adjoining Greystone Airport in Florida, with Travolta's plane parked right next to his house in the same way most people would park their cars. This allows him to commute to and from work when filming away, as well as take spontaneous trips around the country — something he's reportedly very keen to do during his time off.
He's reportedly certified to fly 11 different types of aircraft, including a Boeing 737 commercial jet and certain military jets. Up until 2017, his primary plane was a Boeing 707 which was originally leased from Australian airline Qantas and later given to the actor in return for him becoming a brand ambassador. After four decades of flying, he continues to expand his aircraft collection with an estimated seven different jets currently under his ownership.
Angelina Jolie
While many celebrities start flying because of their own personal fascination with planes, Angelina Jolie was originally inspired to take flying lessons thanks to her son, Maddox. Jolie has been flying since 2004, when her son was just a few years old, and was obsessed with aircraft. His obsession caused the actress to give flying a try, and she was quickly bitten by the bug. Her first plane was a Cirrus SR22, which she continued to fly over the following years, at which point her then-husband, Brad Pitt, also started taking lessons. He would go on to gain his license and buy his own vintage fighter aircraft, but Jolie preferred regular passenger planes and stuck with the Cirrus.
Apart from a brief spell in 2013 when her plane was grounded due to a paperwork error, Jolie has continued flying ever since, and her son Maddox has also joined the family tradition. He reportedly picked up his solo certification in 2018. Planes aren't the only vehicles Jolie is adept at piloting, either — she's shown off her motorcycle riding skills in various films, including riding a Triumph Street Triple in the 2010 film, "Salt."
Jimmy Buffett
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett has been flying for longer than most current celebrities, and he's had his fair share of mishaps over the years. In 1994, Buffett's vintage seaplane hit a wave and crashed just off Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and he was forced to punch out a window to escape. He was rescued by local fishermen and brought back to safety, but the results could have been a lot worse. A spokesperson for the FAA called the singer "very fortunate," although crashing and ruining your classic seaplane is hardly what most people would consider good luck.
His unlucky streak continued two years later when he was flying over Jamaica and was shot at by police, who mistook the craft for a drug-carrying aircraft. U2 singer Bono and his family were reportedly also in the aircraft at the time, but luckily, Buffett was able to land without any injuries despite several bullets puncturing the plane. Since then, he's been able to stay out of trouble, and bought a new seaplane after testing it in 2016. Footage of him testing the A5 aircraft was posted to YouTube by the plane manufacturer, in which Buffet can be heard remarking that it will be the "ultimate toy for the next 10 years of [his] life."
Kurt Russell
Ever seen a UFO? Well, actor Kurt Russell has, and in fact, he was the first person to report what's now considered to be one of the biggest UFO sightings in history. He explained that, back in 1997, he was flying over Phoenix, Arizona, when he and his son saw a mysterious pattern of lights in the sky, forming a V shape over the airport. He radioed ground control to ask what it was, but no one seemed to know, and so he continued his landing as normal. It would turn out that he wasn't the only person to see the lights — thousands of others reported seeing similar patterns in the sky around the state at the same time as Russell did.
It was later reported that the lights were flares dropped by military planes over an Air Force base, but rumors persisted that otherworldly beings had to be responsible, including by the governor of Arizona at the time. Bizarre UFO sightings aside, Russell has continued to fly frequently over the decades, and previously owned several private aircraft. As of 2021, he sold his business jets and now leases them from a jet charter company, although it's not clear whether he still owns any older personal aircraft.
Phil Mickelson
Not every celebrity who can fly a plane is always quite so keen to continue flying after they earn enough for a private jet. For golfer Phil Mickelson, becoming a pilot was a necessity to fly to PGA events on the West Coast, with the star initially using a Cessna Citation as his aircraft of choice. However, as he racked up the wins and the millions started rolling in, Mickelson made the decision to purchase a Gulfstream V private jet and leave the flying to someone else. He no longer pilots planes at all, especially since he's now sold off his jet and relies on a charter company to get around.
Notably, Mickelson has been keen to point out the downsides of owning and flying your own aircraft, with one of the biggest being the amount of planning that has to go into any flight. Storing an aircraft at a given airport can be a hassle, with larger jets that require extra crew members being particularly headache-inducing to take advantage of. So, to make life as easy as possible, the golfer has opted to leave his flying days behind him and let the charter company sort out all the complicated stuff. After all, when you earn as much as Mickelson does, there's no need to fly your own aircraft if you don't want to.