Pilot Celebrities... who are they?

petrolero

petrolero

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petrolero
The Morgan Freeman thread surprised me. I didn't know he was a pilot. Who else is there?

I know the typical ones. Off the top of my head...


  • Harrison Ford
  • John Travolta
  • Jimmy Buffet
  • Morgan Freeman (as I learned yesterday)
  • Both the Presidents Bush
  • Tom Cruise
  • Angelina Jolie :eek:
  • Clint Eastwood
  • Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden front man - not the guy from the more cowbell skit :D )
Who else is famous or semi-famous and flies?
 
Lots of NASCAR drivers
Kenny G
Rob Walton
Craig Ferguson
Dennis Quaid
Aaron Tippin - CAMEL, Rotor and A&P

Many more
 
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NJP_MAN said:
Lots of NASCAR drivers
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I once heard a round-table discussion with Cale, Junior (the original), and a few others of that era. They got talking about all the things they'd done in their airplanes, and about all I can say is they flew the way they drove off the track -- fast, low, and without much regard for any laws.

I would add Michael "Worf" Dorn to the list -- flew his own Saberliner for a while and briefly owned and flew an F-86. Dunno if any of those were equipped with disruptors.
 
Burgess Meredith used to train at the same flight school with Ernie Gann.
 
petrolero said:
The Morgan Freeman thread surprised me. I didn't know he was a pilot. Who else is there?

I know the typical ones. Off the top of my head...


  • Harrison Ford
  • John Travolta
  • Jimmy Buffet
  • Morgan Freeman (as I learned yesterday)
  • Both the Presidents Bush
  • Tom Cruise
  • Angelina Jolie :eek:
  • Clint Eastwood
  • Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden front man - not the guy from the more cowbell skit :D )
Who else is famous or semi-famous and flies?
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Jolie is inactive, probably others on the list are also.
 
wanttaja said:
And William Shatner. An aviation magazine once did an article about him flying a Cardinal.
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I remember that article -- it was in one of the very first editions of Private Pilot magazine. Had to be sometime in 1969, because it was a pilot report of the new C-177A. The article was called "Captain Kirk and The Cardinal".

Logical.

Spock_E6B_02e.jpg
 
CTLSi said:
Jolie is inactive, probably others on the list are also.
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Very likely. Many such people get a license because they can afford it (and then some) and want the status, not because of any real interest in aviation. They often seem to be looking for holes to pour their vast wealth into.

Dan
 
Slim Pickens flew in a green flight suit, cowboy hat and cowboy boots.
Audie Murphy
John Denver
Kris Kristofferson. Landed a helicopter at Johhny Cash front yard to give him words to a song.
Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys coach)
Jimmy Stewart
Clark Gable
 
Tim McGraw ( listed under Samuel Timothy McGraw)
Owns and flies his SR22 frequently, sometimes even to his concerts
 
Dennis Quaid, Ken Griffey JR, Bill Elliot.
 
:D
wanttaja said:
And William Shatner. An aviation magazine once did an article about him flying a Cardinal.

Ron Wanttaja
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And Leonard Nimoy, too. Shatner has glider and us currently working in a helicopter rating.

My fave - Alton Brown, cook, biker and pilot.
 
Pilawt said:
Another list with some surprises:

http://www.aerofiles.com/00stars.html
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Nice list. I recently watched a documentary that was just released this summer about Susan Oliver that covers some of her flying; Star Trek fans should also be interested: http://thegreengirlmovie.com/

I'd read her book, "Odyssey, A Daring Transatlantic Journey" a couple years ago. Very good - definitely something I think any pilot could relate to. Unfortunately it is out of print and hard to come by.
 
Our last Governor, Sonny Perdue is a pilot and had a rotor certificate also.
 
Kelvin said:
Not Vince Neil...
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I saw the first of two The Aviators episodes where he started training, but never saw the follow-up. I assumed he'd finished training and the follow-up was his checkride. I guess not...
 
mjburian said:
I saw the first of two The Aviators episodes where he started training, but never saw the follow-up. I assumed he'd finished training and the follow-up was his checkride. I guess not...
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Bruce Chien ripped him a new one either here or the Red Board...very entertaining thread if you can find it...
 
Pilawt said:
Another list with some surprises:

http://www.aerofiles.com/00stars.html
Click to expand...

Interesting - I count 93 confirmed celebrity pilots on that list, but only 5 women. Pretty close to the same ratio of women pilots among the general population of pilots. [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Ruth Chatterton, [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Michelle Goodeve, [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Osa Johnson, [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Angelina Jolie, [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Susan Oliver.[/FONT]
 
Patrick Swayze was a pilot as well.
Neal Boortz has a Mooney, libertarian/conservative radio host.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Very likely. Many such people get a license because they can afford it (and then some) and want the status, not because of any real interest in aviation. They often seem to be looking for holes to pour their vast wealth into.
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Nothing new about that. Good book out there called "Early Aviators in Hollywood", by Shawna Kelly, points out that getting a pilot's license was VERY stylish in Hollywood in the '20s. Cecil B. Demille, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, etc. DeMille had three airports, all named after him (they were given numbers). Chaplin not only had his own airport, but his own short-lived airline, as well.

In 1921, there was a party in Hollywood where attendees could ONLY arrive by air...the gates to the airport were locked. According to the book, "Over 100 celebrities of Hollywood avation and notoriety arrived by airplane."

Ron Wanttaja
 
Paul Harvey stole a military plane in 1944 and was discharged with a Section 8 (mental illness)

I did not know that!
 
N747JB said:
Patrick Swayze was a pilot as well.
Neal Boortz has a Mooney, libertarian/conservative radio host.
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Not sure he still has the Mooney but is currently picking up a Carbon Cub.
 
Geico266 said:
Paul Harvey stole a military plane in 1944 and was discharged with a Section 8 (mental illness)

I did not know that!
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I didn't either; but curiously the only "sources" I can find for it seem to be political advocacy groups from one side of the spectrum. Anybody have any more, er, reliable sources? If true it would make a great "Rest of The Story" story.
 
Prince Andrew
Mario Andretti
James Arness
Richard Bach
George Bush
Johnny Carson (R.I.P)
Prince Charles
Tom Cruise
Hugh Downs
Clint Eastwood
Harrison Ford
Bruce Jenner
Paul Newman
Joe Montana
Arnold Palmer
Dennis Quaid
Anthony Robbins
Kurt Russell
John Travolta
Rusty Wallace
 
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