The actor gushed about learning to fly the “great plane” in an Instagram post on Tuesday, May 5
Credit: John Travolta/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- John Travolta shared a video on Instagram of himself training to fly a Bombardier Global Express private jet
- The Saturday Night Fever actor obtained his license to fly the long-range jet back in February
- Travolta, a licensed pilot since age 22, is qualified to fly various planes, including Boeing 747s and Gulfstreams
John Travolta is reaching new heights!
On Tuesday, May 5, the Oscar winner, 72, shared a video on Instagram taken during his training to fly an ultra-long-range private jet — the Bombardier Global Express.
In the footage, he showed himself in a classroom surrounded by screens that replicated all of the instruments in the aircraft’s flight deck.
“That’s the Global Express,” Travolta explained, while showing a photo of the aircraft's exterior on a screen. “These are the screens that we refer to all around the classroom,” he shared.
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In the clip, the Grease star also showed a representation of what pilots approaching New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport see when flying the jet.
He appeared to be sitting inside a makeshift aircraft where he could practice using the instruments with the view of the ground below changing in real-time.
“Alright, this is the Global Express simulator on final approach for JFK,” he explained.
Travolta gushed in the caption of the post about the aircraft being a “great plane” as he revealed he’d just completed the necessary simulator training.
Credit: John Travolta/Instagram
Travolta's progress comes after his 72nd birthday coincided with him achieving his license to fly Global Express jets in February.
According to Fly Blade, the long-range business jet, designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aviation for luxury travel, can fly up to 7,900 nautical miles non-stop.
Travolta has become qualified to pilot a variety of different planes, including the Boeing 747, 707 and 737, since obtaining a pilot license at age 22. The Pulp Fiction star has also been an ambassador for Qantas Airways since 2002.
The flying enthusiast's late wife, Kelly Preston, told The Telegraph in 2018 that they “travel all the time” using Travolta’s planes.
"He's had his license for almost 30 years," she said at the time. "At our house in Ocala, northern Florida, we have the planes parked out front because we have a runway attached. I never get nervous when John's piloting because he's calm in any situation and can handle the pressure. He's flown us all over the world – Russia, South Africa, Australia, Tahiti, the UK, the U.S. and the Far East."
Credit: John Travolta/Instagram
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While attending the 10X Growth Conference in 2020, Travolta was asked about his collection of three private jets.
“It’s a practical reason,” he said in a YouTube Short from the event. “I’m a pilot myself, I have 12 jet ratings including the 747, 707, the Gulfstream, the Bombardier, the Learjet, the Citation."
“I love flying, so there’s that,” he continued, adding, “But, I do not like chartering. So if I have one jet that’s inoperable, I have one to back it up.”
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