Top Celebrity Pilots

Celebrities are not content with just having the best automobiles anymore, over the last couple of years more famous faces than ever have actually been taking to the skies. If you fancy the pilot lifestyle or are just curious on which A-Listers have a license to fly their own planes, here is our guide to celeb spotting in the skies.

John Travolta is one of the most famous celebrity pilots and has currently logged over 5,000 hours in the air. The Grease star owns five aircraft including a Boeing 707-138 airliner that used to belong to Quantas. The plane still bears the marks of Quantas and the actor acts as a goodwill ambassador for the airline when he flies. His Florida estate is situated on Graystone Airport and has its own runway and taxiway that takes him right to his front door, handy! Travolta proved himself to be a savvy pilot when he successfully avoided a mid-air collision in 1992; he experienced a total electrical system failure and negotiated an emergency landing at Washington National Airport. The event was attributed to a risky decision by an air traffic controller.

Lord Alan Sugar may be known more for his hiring and firing skills however he is also a qualified pilot with over 30 year experience. He owns a Cirrus SR20 four seat aircraft which he keeps at Stapleford Airfield. A big fan of taking to the skies, Lord Sugar was left shaken in 2008 after he crashed his aircraft due to wed field conditions. Another fan of the Cirrus model is Angelina Jolie who applied for her pilot's license back in 2004. Her motivation to slip on the aviators was her son Maddox's love for airplanes; she takes the whole family flying in her Cirrus SR22 which is equipped with a parachute that is designed to float the plane to safety.

Rock and roll royalty Bruce Dickenson is one of the most famous celebrity pilots and holds an airline transport pilots licence. The Iron Maiden singer regularly flew Boeing 757's for the now defunct UK airline, Astraeus. He went on to launch Cardiff Aviation Ltd in May 2012, an aircraft maintenance company based in South Wales. Dickenson hit the headlines for several high profile flights including bringing a group of British RAF pilot's home from Afghanistan in 2008 and bringing 180 holiday maker's home from Egypt after the collapse of XL Airways. He also piloted Iron Maiden's own Boeing 757 during the 'Somewhere Back in Time World Tour'; the plane was affectionately known as Ed Force One after the group's mascot.