Famous celebrities with pilot licenses

You’ve probably watched some of your favorite heroes from the silver screen engaging in various dangerous stunts – jumping from buildings, partaking in high-speed car pursuits, or indulging in acrobatic maneuvers in airplanes. Usually, a lot of the stunts can be chalked up to seasoned professionals who perform them instead of the actors. But you might be surprised to find out that some A-listers can actually really fly planes. We’ve touched upon the subject in one of our previous blogs, but now we’re delving a bit deeper.

Tom Cruise

One of Tom Cruise’s claims to fame is his role as fighter jet ace Maverick, so it should not come as a surprise that he really is a licensed pilot capable of flying his own jets. He earned his license back in 1994, so he has been flying for thirty years now. To take it up a notch further he is considered an aerobatic pilot, which means he can fly planes in high-speed maneuvers. Last but not least, he has also been inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation – an organization of remarkable people with extraordinary accomplishments in aviation and aerospace. Among the planes he owns are a Gulfstream private jet for comfortable travel and a P-51 Mustang for more adrenaline-fueled endeavors.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford has been a star of the silver screen for decades, playing iconic roles such as Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Jack Ryan. In his personal life, Ford is an accomplished pilot, who takes his hobby seriously and has deep ties with the aviation community. He has previously helped to fly search and rescue missions near his home in the state of Wyoming. He boasts quite a collection of aircraft in his hangar including a Waco Taperwing, a Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, and a Cessna Citation Sovereign 680 just to name a few. However, over the course of his life, he has owned quite a number of aircrafts. And it should come as no surprise that he is also honored as a Living Legend of Aviation.

John Travolta

You probably remember John Travolta from quite a lot of movies with Grease and Pulp Fiction being among the most iconic. However no less iconic is his achievement of getting licensed to fly commercial airplanes. He is licensed to fly large commercial airplanes such as Boeing 747, 707, and 737. His love of flying is so great, that one of his houses has a runway and taxiway so that he can fly out his own backyard. He also owns his own private fleet of airplanes including several Gulfstream jets, a Dassault, a BombardierChallenger, and a Boeing.

Angelina Jolie

The Tomb Raider, Salt, the Tourist, there is no shortage of action-packed movies Angelina Jolie has starred in. From performing gravity-defying stunts to adrenaline-fueled fight sequences, we’ve probably seen her do it all. One of her hobbies in her free time is flying planes, something she has been doing actively since 2004. Jolie owns and flies a Cirrus SR22-G2 single-engine propeller plane, that can achieve a cruise speed of 183 knotsand fly up to a distance of approximately 1,049 nautical miles. The SR22-G2 is considered to be one of the fastest planes in its category, so it’s safe to assume that it’s also fun to fly, making it an apt choice for a decorated action movie star.

Morgan Freeman

While Morgan Freeman is widely known for the many unforgettable roles he has taken up over his illustrious career, his other claim to fame is his distinctive voice. A voice many of us have heard narrating numerous documentaries. Before becoming a movie star Freeman aspired to become a fighter jet pilot and joined the US Airforce, however ended up serving as a radar repairman. While he did not become a fighter jet pilot as he envisioned, he did earn his pilot license at the age of 65 and owns several planes that he can fly. His fleet includes a Piper Seneca II, two Cessnas (a Citation and a Cessna 414), and a Swearingen SJ30.