High-flying
A lot of neighborhoods don't allow the owners to park Boeing 707s
outside their homes, which is why actor John Travolta moved to
Jumbolair, near Ocala.
OCALA -- It's not just another housing development, as you can tell by
the 1.4-mile airstrip and the Boeing 707 parked next to one of the
houses.
Located in the Central Florida town of Anthony, just north of Ocala,
it's called Jumbolair, and it's the new home of John Travolta -- '70s
TV phenom, film superstar, Oscar-nominated actor, sex symbol,
accomplished pilot, doting husband and father.
After several years of whispers about his building a house here, the
49-year-old actor has taken up residence in his nearly completed
mansion. Travolta is flying daily from Ocala to Tampa to shoot "The
Punisher," an action movie based on the comic book, set to be released
next summer. A lifelong love of aviation holds the key to Travolta's
decision to build at Jumbolair.
Travolta owns at least two jets, a Gulfstream and a huge Boeing 707B.
Simply put, there aren't very many non-commercial airstrips where
planes of that size can take off and land. Jumbolair, with its long
landing strip and massive jet wash berms at either end, is one of them.
About a decade ago, Travolta had a home in a fly-in community near
Daytona, but was sued by neighbors who claimed his jet airplanes were
too big and noisy for their facility.
The very layout of his new house is testament to Travolta's love of
flying. It's located immediately off the main airstrip, and is designed
so his jets can taxi right up to two outbuildings connected to the main
structure, which is shaped like a squat air-control tower. Travolta
literally can walk out his door, under a canopied walkway and into the
cockpit, open the long mechanized gate and be airborne in a matter of
minutes.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration pilot database,
Travolta is qualified in several types of single- and multi-engine
aircraft, and has the highest pilot medical certification possible.
"We know that Travolta's an accomplished pilot. ... A lot of people fly
for the pleasure of it, and he's one of them," said John Clabes, an FAA
spokesman. "If you have this many ratings on these types of
high-performance aircraft, you're obviously a good pilot."
In layman's terms, Travolta has enough experience flying large
multi-engine jets that he could easily switch to piloting commercial
airliners for a living.
Look this up, next time you fly to the Ocala Intersection
A lot of neighborhoods don't allow the owners to park Boeing 707s
outside their homes, which is why actor John Travolta moved to
Jumbolair, near Ocala.
OCALA -- It's not just another housing development, as you can tell by
the 1.4-mile airstrip and the Boeing 707 parked next to one of the
houses.
Located in the Central Florida town of Anthony, just north of Ocala,
it's called Jumbolair, and it's the new home of John Travolta -- '70s
TV phenom, film superstar, Oscar-nominated actor, sex symbol,
accomplished pilot, doting husband and father.
After several years of whispers about his building a house here, the
49-year-old actor has taken up residence in his nearly completed
mansion. Travolta is flying daily from Ocala to Tampa to shoot "The
Punisher," an action movie based on the comic book, set to be released
next summer. A lifelong love of aviation holds the key to Travolta's
decision to build at Jumbolair.
Travolta owns at least two jets, a Gulfstream and a huge Boeing 707B.
Simply put, there aren't very many non-commercial airstrips where
planes of that size can take off and land. Jumbolair, with its long
landing strip and massive jet wash berms at either end, is one of them.
About a decade ago, Travolta had a home in a fly-in community near
Daytona, but was sued by neighbors who claimed his jet airplanes were
too big and noisy for their facility.
The very layout of his new house is testament to Travolta's love of
flying. It's located immediately off the main airstrip, and is designed
so his jets can taxi right up to two outbuildings connected to the main
structure, which is shaped like a squat air-control tower. Travolta
literally can walk out his door, under a canopied walkway and into the
cockpit, open the long mechanized gate and be airborne in a matter of
minutes.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration pilot database,
Travolta is qualified in several types of single- and multi-engine
aircraft, and has the highest pilot medical certification possible.
"We know that Travolta's an accomplished pilot. ... A lot of people fly
for the pleasure of it, and he's one of them," said John Clabes, an FAA
spokesman. "If you have this many ratings on these types of
high-performance aircraft, you're obviously a good pilot."
In layman's terms, Travolta has enough experience flying large
multi-engine jets that he could easily switch to piloting commercial
airliners for a living.
Look this up, next time you fly to the Ocala Intersection
Heinz floridasuncoast@earthlink.net
How about asking Mr. Travolta for a GRANT?
So we can buy new Rafts and Life Vests and install Marine Radios for each plane for the Patrol??