Hollywood Goes Airborne: 5 Celebs Who Took Their Careers to New Heights

Every wannabe actor knows a thing or two about having a side hustle. After all, it’s not exactly the most stable of jobs. One moment you’re booked and busy with three sets in a week, and the next you’ve been out of work for six months.

Even Hollywood’s biggest names need the occasional change of pace, but of course, they do it in style. These A-listers decided the red carpet just wasn’t high enough and took their talents to the skies. From blockbusters to Boeing, here are five actors who earned their wings and got pilot’s licenses.

Because whoever said fame had to stay on the ground?

Known for his high-octane roles and dedication to the craft, Tom Cruise has proven there’s not much he can’t do. After starring in 1986’s Top Gun, Cruise didn’t just walk away with another blockbuster under his belt, but also a lifelong love and appreciation for flying.

Just eight years later, in 1994, the superstar became the proud holder of a pilot’s license. Today, he owns a Gulfstream IV, worth over $20 million, which was gifted to him on the set of one of the Mission Impossible movies.

And no wonder Top Gun: Maverick was such a success, because Cruise performed many of the flight sequences himself, although the Navy stopped him from doing some of the more dangerous stunts. Call that cruising in style. Still, his dedication to aviation, and his insistence on realism in film, cements his status as a true aviation junkie. If there's ever a Top Gun 3, we’ll be tuned in.

Actress, millionaire, aviation expert, philanthrophist. What can’t this superwoman do? The Maleficent actress’s story of learning to fly will make your heart melt.

Jolie used to go to the airfield with her son Maddox and watch the planes land and take off. What started as a mother-son bonding activity inspired both of them, leading them both to enroll in flying lessons.

She gained her pilot’s license in 2004, and make no mistake, it's not sitting in some cupboard gathering dust. Jolie is regularly seen flying various types of aircraft, including the Cirrus SR22, which seems to be her favorite, but also a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan. But she doesn’t just stop here, she also holds a helicopter pilot's license and has flown helicopters like the Bell 206 JetRanger and Robinson R44.

She’s even used her piloting skills for humanitarian efforts, flying herself to refugee camps and disaster areas in countries such as Cambodia, Sudan, and Haiti.

When it comes to this woman’s ambition, the sky’s the limit.

If there’s one actor who’s synonymous with celebrity aviation, it’s John Travolta.
Travolta earned his private pilot license at age 22, right around the time he was starring in Welcome Back, Kotter and filming Carrie and Saturday Night Fever. But he didn’t stop there—he later obtained licenses to fly Boeing 707s and 747s, and even captained his own Boeing 737.

Oh, and did we mention he literally has a runway at his Florida home? Yes, Travolta’s estate includes a private taxiway that connects directly to a runway, where he parks his fleet, including including a Dassault Falcon 900, Boeing 737-300, and Eclipse 500. At one point, he even owned a Boeing 707, which he donated to a museum. Small wonder he became the ambassador for Qantas then.
Talk about traveling in style.

Morgan Freeman has had a rollercoaster of a life, and when he finally gets around to writing a memoir, we’ll be tuned in. Long before this legend graced our screens and gave us some of the best performances in cinema, he worked as a mechanic in the Air Force.

While his history with planes stretches a long way back, he never actually flew when he was in the force. But he held on to the dream he had since he was a child, and learned to fly when he was 65 years old, proving to everyone that there’s no age limit to anything. As long as you have the passion for it, who knows when your dreams will come true?
He has since flown aircraft like the Cessna 414 and Embraer Phenom 300, and with a career as long and storied as his, it's fitting that Freeman took the scenic route to the skies.