Demi And Ashton Make An Emergency Landing And Other Private Plane Adventures Of The Rich and Famous
Posted by: Olivia Allin
Filed in:
celebs
10:10AM, Wednesday August 12th 2009
Last week, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore‘s private plane had to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas while on the way to New York after Ashton’s “Spread” premiere. No one’s saying exactly what the emergency was, but both actors tweeted about their near-death experiences after landing safely. [People]
Is this whole private plane thing all it’s cracked up to be? After the jump, tales of celebrity plane rides gone turbulent.
The Good ...
- John Travolta keeps his planes parked on his front lawn—a Boeing 707, a Lear, and a GulfStream. He’s logged in over 5,000 miles as a pilot. (Remember his pilot gig in “Look Who’s Talking?”) After Hurricane Katrina, he hopped in one and helped out. [EZine]
- Harrison Ford used his helicopter to rescue hikers who got lost in the woods near his home in Wyoming—twice! Once, a girl he rescued was so sick and delirious that she puked in his ‘copter. Hopefully, he’s washed it since.
The Bad ...
- In 2001, Aaliyah hopped on a private plane in the Bahamas after shooting her video for “Rock the Boat.” Tragically, the plane crashed, and everyone on board was killed. It was discovered that the pilot was unlicensed and had traces of alcohol and cocaine in his system.
- Four years ago, Oprah Winfrey‘s private GulfStream jet had to do an emergency landing in Santa Barbara after a run-in with a bird cracked the windshield. The bird didn’t make it, but Oprah and Stedman Graham were not injured. [People]
- The Dixie Chicks’ private plane clipped the side of a building after landing at the Glasgow Airport before a show. Everyone was fine, and the plane and the building only suffered superficial damage. [People]
And The Weird ...
- Tom Cruise got the nickname “Emissions Impossible” for owning three private jets. He’s been known to send out a plane to buy organic veggies. Cruise invited Katie Holmes for sushi on his private jet for their first date. [Forbes]
- Jennifer Lopez chartered a private jet from New York to LA and then refused to pay, saying she wasn’t supposed to be billed for it. Obviously, she got sued. Oops. [TMZ]
If you were a celebrity, would you cruise around in a private jet or avoid them like the plague?
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friskybachelor
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:31 am: [report]
As the article notes, Travolta has 5000 HOURS of pilot time. He also has a commercial license, so that he can fly his Boeing.
5000 miles is roughly a return flight between LA and Manhattan. Not much of an accomplishment for a pilot. 5000 hours is 2.5 regular working years. LAX to JFK is about a 6 hour flight, so 5000 hours is 417 LAX-JFK round trips, lots and lots of flying, especially for someone who isn’t a professional pilot. Legal restrictions limit airline pilots to 100 hours flying time in 28 days, or roughly 1200 hours annually. Thus Travolta has the equivalent of 4 years of professional pilot flying time.
Lilypie
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 12:52 pm: [report]
It’s totally all it’s cracked up to be. You just walk up and get on and leave when you want to. No TSA, no be-there-3-hours-before-your-flight (5 minutes is enough), vastly more comfortable interiors with no strangers. Going commericial after flying by private jet is like falling back to earth after visiting heaven…
Coral
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 09:49 pm: [report]
@friskybachelor: Yeah, but he probably doesn’t fly his jets all the time. He is probably either lazy or too ‘busy’.