Being a pilot isn’t common. Your ability to fly high into the sky and enjoy unbeatable aerial views is a luxury envied by many. And as a Ridge Landing Airpark resident, you not only get to use your aircraft at your own disposal, but you get to live in a community that makes it easy to fly in and out without the hassle of finding a runway. Having such free-range to fly is the star treatment our residents deserve.
Speaking of stars… You’re in good company as a pilot. Did you know many celebrities are also pilots? Below are five of the famous pilots that you may have seen on the silver screen once or twice.
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Angelina Jolie
For some reason, Jolie’s status as an instrument rated pilot comes as no surprise to us. The woman seems to do it all, and being a pilot just happens to be another one of those things. Apparently, she got her license around 2004 after promising her son Maddox she’d learn to fly. Jolie is an instrument rated pilot who flies a Cirrus SR22 (which you can rent from Ridge Landing)
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John Travolta
One of the most famous celebrities known for his high skill as a pilot is John Travolta. He owns a personal fleet of aircraft which includes a booming Boeing 707 painted in the original 1960’s Qantas livery (he’s an ambassador for the brand). He’s been fascinated by aviation since childhood and earned his pilot’s license at age 22. He (of course) has built-in hangars and a taxiway at his house.
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Gisele Bündchen
OK, she may not be an airplane pilot, but she’s a helicopter pilot! The supermodel was earning her helicopter pilot’s license while she was six months pregnant in 2009. She was passionate about learning to fly because as the UN’s goodwill ambassador for the Environmental Programme, she wanted to work on finding an alternative to jet fuel.
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Tom Cruise
If you thought the Top Gun star wouldn’t have his pilot’s license, you’re mistaken. Cruise is rumored to own anywhere from three to five private jets, and he pilots all of them, earning his license in 1994. So what if he’s used these jets for trivial tasks like picking up groceries for his wife, Katie Holmes? Cruise’s most luxurious aircraft is the Gulfstream IV, which is outfitted with a jacuzzi and screening room.
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Harrison Ford
The man might be known for his intergalactic aviation as Hans Solo from Star Wars, but Ford’s talent isn’t scripted. He snagged a pilot’s license at age 53. He learned how to fly in a Cessna 182 and now owns a Cessna Citation Twin Jet.
There are plenty of celebrity pilots out there. Who is your favorite and why?
