See full version: Does john travolta still fly his 707
John Travolta has purchased a plane that could fit up to 150 passengers, but he doesn’t travel places with such a big entourage; instead, it’s himself and his family who board his planes. Yahoo! notes that Travolta’s jet has been customized for 15 people, who can enjoy the flight in luxury. here
Some actors may keep their garage filled with luxury cars, and others have walk-in closets and designer collections worth an eye-watering sum. And then we have John Travolta, who has a Challenger jet parked in his backyard, Business Insider reports. here
Kelly Preston and John Travolta experienced a terrible loss when their son, Jett, passed away unexpected while on a family holiday in The Bahamas in 2009. In honor of his firstborn child, Travolta donated a plane to Georgia's Aviation Hall of Fame, Huffington Post reports.
John Travolta is very proud of his son, Ben, and noted that they share a passion for aviation. The actor took to social media to share a photo of his son in the cockpit and said that he was taking his place — USA Today notes he is referring to his Qantas ambassador status. He added that it was Ben’s first A380 Qantas flight. [links]
John Travolta has also shared his love for Boeing, in particular, their model BBJ/Boeing Business Jet. “I've been having a great time working for Boeing-the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners,” he wrote. “I was especially excited to hear everybody’s reaction to the photos of the model BBJ/Boeing Business Jet I posted from a recent event…” more
Travolta was also the first non-test pilot to fly an Airbus A380. He told Reuters back in 2007 that, “It’s a very easy plane to fly but technically complicated.”
The Boeing 707, which Travolta repainted in a retro Qantas livery, was donated to the HARS by Travolta almost two years ago, but logistics and the cost of getting the plane to its new home has delayed delivery as the HARS needed to raise money to get the plane back to Australia. A special permit was also required for the plane to be able to make the flight. Travolta was hoping to fly the plane himself — he’s rated to fly the 707 — but the terms of permit mean that he won’t be behind the controls for the delivery flight. The plane is due to arrive back in Australia in November.
John Travolta by any measure is an AvGeek: A collector of not only aviation memorabilia but also actual aircraft as well. His private fleet has included multiple Gulfstream aircraft, an Eclipse 500 very light jet, and his most well known aircraft, a former Qantas Boeing 707. That plane is now headed back to Australia, where it will be maintained and put on display with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), according to an ABC report.
While Travolta won’t be at the controls, he will be onboard along with a number of HARS volunteers who have been working on the project. The HARS has over 700 members, around 200 of which worked for Qantas, with some of those members having worked on Travolta’s plane when it was in service for the airline.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 7: Qantas Ambassador John Travolta arrives in his V-Jet 707 at Qantas’ 90th birthday celebrations at Brisbane Airport on November 7, 2010 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images) here
Travolta is an Ambassador-at-Large with Qantas, a title the airline gave him back in 2002. Travolta has used the Boeing 707 around the world on promotions for the airline and even flew on humanitarian missions to disaster areas like New Orleans and Haiti. [links]
John Travolta & Qantas hold a joint media event. [links]
Travolta has actually been very smart about the way he buys his planes, particularly the Boeing 707. The plane was originally rented for him while he was promoting the film, Get Shorty. He fell in love with it and wanted to buy it from Quantas, who owned it at the time, however it was way too expensive for him. here
The four aircraft that are big enough to have public records that lead to LLCs associated with Travolta are: a 1988 Bombardier Challenger CL-601, which is one of the biggest business jets in the Challenger series; a 2007 Eclipse Aviation EA500; and two Gulfstream IIs, one of which he displays in the Warner Robins Museum. here
Travolta waving the French Flag from the cockpit of his Boeing 707. more
They are both airliner jets but the 747 is a jumbo version, which means it can fit more passengers and cargo as well as more gas so that it can fly almost twice the distance. The speed isn’t much different and it can only go a few thousand feet higher in altitude. A 707 seems like a much fairer purchase for one pilot more
Yes, and he is and quite an impressive one at that. He is an instrument-rated pilot who is licensed to fly 11 different jets. Our man has loved planes since he was a kid and actually got his first private pilot’s license when he was just 22.
Fun fact about Travolta’s 707, which he named Jett Clipper Ella after his children, is that it was once owned by Frank Sinatra. This makes the plan historically relevant and because of that – let’s face it, the upkeep of a plane like that would take a lot of time and money – Travolta has decided to donate his 707 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, which is part of the Australian Aviation Museum in Illawarra, Australia, just outside of Sydney. more
His house is quite stunning with curved architecture and views of his airplanes scattered tastefully throughout his yard. [links]