We all know of John Travolta as the triple threat who’s jived his way across our screens for 40 years, but what many people don’t know is that what he really loves to do is fly. He's the proud owner of five aeroplanes, and in fact loves his planes so much he literally lives in an airport! Read on to find out more about his passion for aviation.
Plane Spotting
With two Oscar nominations under his belt, there’s no doubt that John Travolta has had a pretty incredible acting career. But did you know that when Travolta began acting, he was already a seasoned flyer? His passion for planes began as a young child, when he would stare, fascinated, at the aeroplanes flying into the airport near where he lived. As he grew up, he sustained his interest with books about aeroplanes, but as soon as he could afford to, he moved on to collecting the real deal. At the age of sixteen he took his first flying lessons, by around twenty he’d bought his first plane, and by twenty-three he had his pilot’s license. Travolta bought his first plane, an Aircoupe, before he owned a car, and according to him, it “flew like a car” anyway. With a little scooter and his one-seater plane, he could get wherever he wanted to go. Eventually, he grew out of the Aircoupe, and switched to a Douglas DC-3, followed by a Lockheed Constellation and, the pride of his collection, a Boeing 707.
Buying the Boeing
Travolta’s relationship with his 707 was a case of love at first flight. During the promotional tour of the 1995 film ‘Get Shorty’, he was asked to fly to Berlin for a weekend and promote the film there. He was concerned that if he did that he would be too tired to get to work on Monday, so a Boeing 707 with a bedroom was found for him, and he slept so well “it was like [he] had never traveled at all”. But it wasn't until 1998 when he was able to buy the Boeing for himself. For three years, Travolta waited for the price of the plane to drop enough for him to afford it, until his offer was finally accepted.
Since receiving his pilot’s license, he has flown for more than one thousand hours. All the money he earns as an actor goes to his life as a pilot, paying for upkeep, travel costs and the lessons he continues to take to keep his skills up to date.
Travolta's Boeing 707
Image Source: YouTube
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