Flight Fever

“Business aviation has always made sense to me in that it offers flexibility, privacy, security and, most importantly, timesaving – meaning I have the ability to keep up with my busy schedule and have more time for my family, which is very important to me,” explained actor John Travolta.

“On top of that, I’m a pilot – I love to fly. Bombardier designs aircraft as much for the person flying them as for the passenger. I’m proud to represent their aircraft.”

The Canadian airframer reckons it asked the star because he is a licensed jet pilot and an advocate for corporate aviation. With a busy schedule of filming, publicity and charity work, he is a truly international business traveller. He has also received two aviation awards – the American Institute of Aeronautics Foundation Award for Excellence in 2003, and the Living Legends Ambassador of Aviation award in 2007.

Steve Ridolfi, president, Bombardier Business Aircraft said: “John Travolta is both a film icon and knowledgeable aviator. He recently added the Challenger aircraft to the impressive list of 11 different jets he is qualified to fly.”

Given that ‘adding the Challenger’ took the best part of a month, it was a huge commitment for someone with such a busy diary. Travolta said: “It took 21 days non-stop getting my type rating on this, and it will be four or five days every year for this particular plane. But I don’t mind. I like it. I enjoy it. It keeps me safe.”

The well-travelled actor is in a prime position, too, to see the growth of business aviation around the world, and explained why regions like the Middle East are such hotbeds. He said: “More than ever everyone is involved globally. They see there’s a possibility there. Business aviation creates jobs for everybody.”

Like many regions, the Gulf is suffering from a shortage of pilots and technicians. Travolta pointed to the next generation of pilots and how he is trying to attract young people to the aviation industry. He said: “I’m hoping with all my brand endorsements like with Breitling, Qantas and Bombardier that it will make it kind of exciting for people to be interested again, but you never know what the trick is to get them sparked again because they’re so insular with their computers that you may have to actually demonstrate the fun.”

With an acting career spanning some 30 years, Travolta has starred in 60 films and has been honoured with a number of film awards and award nominations. He is involved in three upcoming movie projects: Savages, the story of a drugs cartel in Laguna Beach, along with Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro; Gotti, the story of John Gotti, the infamous crime boss of the Gambino mob family; and Shrapnel, which is about two veterans of the Bosnian War, one American, one Serbian, who clash in the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness.

In terms of the definitive aviation film, Travolta believes an adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novella The Shepherd could be it. The tale is of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve 1957, whose aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure en route from RAF Celle in northern Germany to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Lost in fog and low on fuel, he is shepherded to a disused RAF dispersal field by the pilot of a World War II De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber, who has apparently been sent up to guide him in. Travolta said: “It is one of my favourites because it personalises the two planes involved. I guess because I owned a British Vampire it is a little more real to me.”

The star suffered a huge loss in 2009 with the death of his son Jett, who suffered from Kawasaki Disease, a rare illness, which can cause seizures. As part of the healing process the Travolta family established the Jett Travolta Foundation, which supports a wide range of charities, particularly those involving helping children. A key area of interest is research into convulsions. Travolta said: “We are looking at putting quite a bit of money into seizure investigation, because seizures have still not been solved. Oddly enough you can cure cancer but you can’t cure seizures.”

He said that he is speaking with a company that believes it may have found a breakthrough and will talk about that more when he is ready to  publicise its work.