For those who love aviation, it enters their lives in its own special way and through their own unique experience. From the first moment humankind gazed skyward, came the yearning to take flight. Perhaps a quote by Wilbur Wright summarizes the quest to break free of earthly boundaries best, “The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space on the infinite highway of the air.”
From the dawn of aviation, through its Golden Age and beyond, aviators have challenged themselves to exceed their physical limitations, vying to be the fastest, the loftiest, and the farthest – whether it be pursuing a flight record, advancing the technology of the era, exploring the globe, or performing daring aerobatics in front of the massive crowds who flock to aerial events. The attempts, feats, and failures of early aeronauts were often well publicized, and in their day, many of these aviators achieved epic celebrity status, even though that may not have been their original intention.
The list of notable early aviators who sparked public interest in flight and who were instrumental in turning aviation into a worldwide phenomenon and passion that inspired others to become pilots is extensive. Many of their names are still known in the circles of aviation history. Some of them include Bert Acosta, Richard Byrd, Jacqueline Cochran, Clarence Chamberlin, Jimmy Doolittle, Amelia Earhart, Alexander de Seversky, Frank Hawks, Howard Hughes, Ruth Law, Wiley Post, Cal Rodgers, Igor Sikorsky, Elinor Smith, Roscoe Turner, and Al Williams. But while the list of yesterday’s celebrity pilots is exhaustive, the majority of early aviators never achieved fame and remain unknown.
Today, there are many celebrities who, through their own unique experience, have a kinship to aviation and have themselves become pilots, whether private, recreational, commercial or instrument rated, or helicopter. They are actors, actresses, musicians, athletes, models, and business tycoons.
In 2008, actor Zach Braff earned his pilot’s license flying a Cirrus SR20. He reportedly did so to tackle his anxiety about flying. By learning about flight instruments and how airplanes operate, he overcame his fear and now enjoys flying one of his own airplanes or flying commercially.
Musician and restaurant entrepreneur Jimmy Buffet has been flying for over thirty years. His interest began in college. Bit by the flying bug, he later set a goal to obtain his pilot’s license by his 40th birthday, a goal that he met just prior to his 40th. He is a commercial pilot with ratings for single, multi-engine land and seaplane aircraft and also holds an instrument rating.
Model and philanthropist Gisele Bundchen obtained her license to pilot a helicopter in 2009. Her main draw toward aviation was in conjunction with her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Environmental Program to find an alternative source of jet fuel. Tom Cruise earned his pilot’s license in 1994, inspired while filming “Top Gun.” He is a private and commercially rated pilot in multi-engine land and instrument airplanes.
Bruce Dickinson, the longtime lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden, achieved his commercial license after learning to fly in the 1990s. He holds an airline transport license and flew the band around the world during Iron Maiden’s world tour in 2008. Actor Michael Dorn of Star Trek Next Gen is an accomplished pilot with a particular love for jets. He has owned and operated former military jet aircraft such as the T-33, F-86 Sabre and Sabreliner. He is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and also serves on the Air Force Heritage Foundation’s advisory board. Clint Eastwood served in the Army in 1951 during the Korean War. He was a passenger on a Navy torpedo bomber that developed engine problems and crashed off the California coast. Nearly 40 years after surviving this accident, he obtained his license as a helicopter pilot and later appeared in an FAA safety film, The Vertical Dimension.
Harrison Ford’s passion for the sky began in the 1960s, but it was not until the mid-1990s that he earned his pilot’s license at the age of 53. He is licensed to fly single and multi-engine land, sea, and instrument aircraft, as well as rotorcraft. In 2001 he served as a rescue helicopter pilot flying his own chopper as part of a local search and rescue mission. He is an honorary member of the humanitarian aviation organization Wings of Hope.
Actor James Franco decided to pursue his pilot’s license in preparation for his role in the 2006 World War I film, Flyboys, about the Americans pilots who flew in the Lafayette Escadrille in 1917. Since his days in the U.S. Air Force, mechanic actor and narrator Morgan Freeman has had a passion for flying. He earned his private license at age 65 in single, multi-engine, and instrument land planes.
Country singer Alan Jackson became interested in flying while watching and learning from the pilot who flew him to and from his gigs. On his website, he said, “We had a farm with a pretty big grass strip, and I had a plane with amphibious gear, so I could land on water, the lake. I flew around Nashville.” While he still has his license, Jackson currently doesn’t fly much, citing that his wife has grown tired of his flying and of worrying about him.
Actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie learned to fly and earned her pilot’s license in 2004 after her son expressed an interest in airplanes. She bought her own aircraft and has piloted it on-screen for her roles in documentaries.
Musician and actor Kris Kristofferson got his pilot’s license in the 1960s while serving in the U.S. Army, and he is a commercial helicopter pilot and private pilot in single-engine land planes.
Pro golfer Phil Mickelson’s interest in aviation is largely born out of the fact that his father was a Navy pilot who served in Vietnam and an airline pilot. Following in his father’s footsteps, he obtained his pilot’s license in the 1990s, and he considers it a favorite pastime.
An icon in the world of professional golf, the late Arnold Palmer was a pilot in single and multi-engine land aircraft and instrument rated. An early Air Mail plane sparked Palmer’s interest in aviation and after over 55 years in the cockpit, he logged some 20,000 hours. Brad Pitt is an experienced pilot, qualified to fly both single and multi-engine aircraft. With a love of vintage aircraft, he owns and flies a restored World War II RAF Supermarine Spitfire. He actively supports various aviation organizations, such as the Air Force Aid Society and the Experimental Aircraft Association. Actor Dennis Quaid became a private pilot in 1994 and is qualified in single-engine, multi-engine land, and instrument aircraft. He owns a Cessna Citation 500 series twin-engine light jet and regularly flies to his Montana property.
Former Van Halen rocker David Lee Roth has been certified to fly helicopters since 2006. In a New York Times interview, Roth stated that he had always wanted to fly helicopters since watching M*A*S*H on TV. Kurt Russell, who began acting at the age of 12, is an FAA-licensed private pilot, single, multi-engine, and instrument rated. He is an Honorary Council Member of Wings of Hope. With over 28 years in the air, Russell said, “Flying has taught me more about who I really am than anything I’ve ever done.” In 2010 he received the ‘Aviation Mentor Award’ at the 7th Annual “Living Legends of Aviation Awards. Hillary Swank was inspired to learn how to fly while filming for her starring role as Amelia Earhart in the 2009 biographical movie Amelia. She continued her studies after filming and later achieved her private pilot’s license.
A celebrity best known as an accomplished pilot, in addition to television and film star, is John Travolta, who has been a pilot since the age of 22. He is certified in single-engine and multi-engine aircraft and is instrument and commercial-rated. Travolta is a winner of the American Institute of Aeronautical Engineers Award for excellence in aviation and worldwide promotion of the airline industry.
He holds eight jet licenses, including the Boeing 707, 747, Gulfstream II, Hawker 125, Lear 24, 25, and 36, the British Vampire Jet, and the Canadair CL-41 Tebuan jet. He is also the worldwide ambassador for Qantas Airlines. He owns five aircraft that he keeps at his own personal airport at his Florida estate.
