The actor is known for his love of aviation and has several jets in his private portfolio. Travolta is certified to fly 11 different aircraft and owns a number of planes himself.
He won the American Institute of Aeronautics Foundation Award for Excellence in 2003. TRANSPORTATION: Owns a Bombardier Challenger 601, a Boeing 707-138B and an Eclipse 500. Also has a Soko Galeb G-2 fighter jet and two ultralights. PERSONAL: Married since 1991 to actress Kelly Preston.
Summary. Tom Cruise is a licensed pilot with qualifications as a multi-engine instrument-rated pilot and helicopter flying skills. Cruise owns a collection of airplanes, including a vintage P-51 Mustang fighter from World War II and a Gulfstream IV G4 jet.
While the 707 is no longer used for commercial flights, many 707s and their variants remain operational in specific applications. Several national Air Force branches continue to fly 707s for transportation, refueling, and reconnaissance.
After starting life as a commercial airliner, the 727 has seen its role evolve over time. “From the mid-1980s, when production ended, the 727 was seen as increasingly noisy and inefficient compared with some of its newer rivals, and many major airlines began phasing the type out from the 1990s,” said Morrison.
The Dreamliner is a successful aircraft, still in production with more than 1600 delivered or on order. The list price for a new Boeing 787-8 is $239 million dollars. Yet even as international travel opens again for these long-range aircraft, two Dreamliners barely ten years old are waiting for the wrecker's ball.
During WWII approximately 15,000 P-51 Mustangs were produced. Today, however, there are around 150 airworthy aircraft remaining, and they're located around the world either in museums, flying, or are being restored.
The F-22 Is Used By The U.S. Air Force, Not The Navy
Top Gun and its sequel are set in the Navy. However, the F-22 is used by the Air Force, an entirely separate institution. As such, it would have made no sense for Maverick to pilot an F-22 of the aircraft in Top Gun: Maverick.
Brad Pitt. In addition to being a renowned actor and producer, Brad Pitt is also a skilled pilot. He received his private pilot's license in the 1990s and has since earned his multi-engine rating.
Country singer and husband of Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, is not only a certified pilot but a Cirrus pilot. He has a customized SR22 that he enjoys flying when he wants to unwind and relax.
Travolta has only a private pilot license (PPL). This is the most basic of the 3 pilot's licenses. The PPL allows him to carry passengers but not allowed to fly them for hire. As such, some of his detractors are of the view that he is not one of the best pilots to ever live.
The biggest reason for flying at higher altitudes lies in fuel efficiency. The thin air creates less drag on the aircraft, which means the plane can use less fuel in order to maintain speed. Less wind resistance, more power, less effort, so to speak.
The top speed of the Boeing 747 itself is about 570 mph, and this flight maxed out at 825 mph. The difference between “ground speed” (zero bonus) and “air speed” (200+ mph bonus) is also why this speed, while technically faster than the speed of sound, didn't ever go supersonic.
There were 440 Boeing 747 aircraft in active airline service as of October 2023, comprising 1 747-100s, 3 747SPs, 19 747-200s, 4 747-300s, 259 747-400s, and 154 747-8s. These aircraft are listed by airline operators and variant in the following table.
While Leno doesn't own a jet, he feels it's more optimal to lease them for travel. “Pilots must have 12 hours between flights. So, I lease planes. Otherwise I would need two planes,” Leno explains.
Travolta has been a Qantas “ambassador-at-large” since 2002 and keeps his personal Qantas Boeing 707 in the yard of his Florida home. So it fits perfectly at him that the actor's Florida home has two runways that lead directly to his front door.
It was an easy way to keep things organized. But the marketing department realized that the name Model 700 wasn't exactly catchy, so instead they suggested the name 707. This started a long-standing pattern, starting with 727, 737 and finally today with the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner models. Pretty neat, huh?
What does 747 mean? The most well known aircraft in the 7×7 series is the Boeing 747, which also goes by the nickname “jumbo jet.” The 747 made aviation history. It was designed in the 1960s as a response to an increase in air traffic. It was the largest civilian airplane in the world.
