John Travolta is one dedicated person. His love of flying has him owning a Boeing 707 and a Gulfstream. Here are both if his aircraft in front of his home in Florida.
I cant imagine how intelligent and tenacious he had to have been to obtain the ratings necessary to fly these machines.
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The picture failed to attach.
They should do a monster garage show at his place. Tear down one of the planes and pimp it out!
Hi Stan, should there have been a picture with that post?
John
you mean vinny barbarosa ?
definitely one driven dude.... i was thinking the same thing.. saw a little piece on him.. said he was upping his rating to a 747... cause that's what he wants next....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
how do you back them thing up, you would think he have a hanger instead of carports,
Apparently he's (Travolta) expanding, or moving, as he's on board to build a new place in The Greenbriar resort in WV.
They've recently set the whole resort up as a gated community. No access without a reservation anymore. Even to get in to eat at one of the restarurants, your reservation must be known by the guards. PITA for anybody doing business there (us).
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
and he believes in Scientology. go figure.
My life is my passion!
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Stan
That's a nice shot, I'm guessing you didn't take that from the cockpit of your gyro(you never mention straying that far from home)
Kind of hard to imagine having a 707 and a gulfstream parked outside your house! Sort of makes the guy with Rolls parked out in his driveway look sorta average.
I've seen him on talk shows and its obvious that like you(passion for flying) this is more than JUST a hobby.
Doug
I can hear the lead carp on that job:
"Man I was sure that it was a typo when it said 150 ft wide carport, so I made 'em both 15' !!!"Mr T
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Located in Elmira, NY
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I long for the days before "Pulp Fiction" when John Revolting was all washed up.
just takes average intelligence ... his having above money helped greatly.
Most anyone can learn .... just takes time and money.
I never got above a 172 .... ran outta money .. then time ...
but my instructors .. and a good buddy that went all the way thru ...
all said the bigger the plane .. the easier it gets.
My buddy that went all the way .. applied just as the commercial airlines started downsizing ... so he went to ans even better job .. flying fractional ....
The had a minor breakdown as the stress of living a life on the road with a family at home .. so he's just now back at the little local commuter airline he started at right outta flight school ....
He has lots more money ... lots more debt ... lots more stress .... mots less smiles.
Maybe my having to go back into carpentry wasn't such a bad career move?
I'd like to hit the lotto and go the Travolta route ....
Jeff
edit ... I could respect Travolta much more as a private pilot if he didn't insist on wearing those stupid uniforms.
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Edited 3/6/2004 1:07:21 PM ET by Jeff J. Buck
Jeff: I have to disagree on a person of average intelligence achieving the ratings that Trovolta has obtained. Sure..it takes time and money..both of which he has....but it takes above average intelligence to absorb...retain...and acquire the necessary information and techniques to attain these ratings.
There has to be a very disciplined study of aerodynamics. weather..airspace..radio use...emergency procedures...
One has to constantly stay upgraded and prove to remain at a high proficiency level. This takes lots of discipline and study.
John has always been known to have a high IQ...what it is I dont know...but to do what he has done..I guarantee its above average.
Stan ...
he's done nothing you or I couldn't have done with a little more time and money.
Maybe I'm just jealous my time and money ran out 3/4 way thru my flight training?
Got a good buddy of mine ... just as dumb as I am ... he made it the whole way thru to the big planes ... figured if he's dumb enough ... so am I.
Plus ... I had better grades than him thru flight tech school.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
anyone have an idea on what the round walk/track/driveway off the back of the house is? a circular drive with sculpture at the center? - -"there's enough for everyone"
Sure makes sense to have a circular drive go under the canopy. Plus it's connected to the rest of the drive way and out to the gate.
I figured the bit in the center is a helipad.
And, because that's where the canopy is and where the driveway goes, I'd call that the front of the house. Airplanes in the rear, sad though that may be.
That's a circular approach to the Porte Cochere. You really wouldn't be so rude to your guests as to expect them to back out again would you?
It is really quite functional to have the drive arranged like this. When you have forty come over for dinner and they all arrive at the same time, more or less, it is a lot easier for the valets to get all the cars parked nicely.
I'm not so sure the center is a helipad. It looks to me like a fountain and the pennant /light poles are arranged on the inside of the parking circle - kind of close for a helo blade. I'll ask the stepson about that one next time I talk to him.
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I've got one at my place here in Kentucky ...so am I a millionaire??...the statue is a soft maple stump..been burning it down for awile now..see.View Image
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
cool! - - I've got one too, my barn is in the middle of it - - I look forward to seeing your log porte cochere - -"there's enough for everyone"
gotta get some go carts..wheeee!
any questions why I am home today...see old tools thread.
View Image
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
i blew up the picture, and in the center of the circular walkway is a sculpture of l ron hubbard with buddha in one hand and christ in the other. vishnu is in his shirt pocket and he has a tie tack in the shape of marshall applewhite's face.
travolta can retain all that information because of that oversized melon of his.
well, doh!"there's enough for everyone"
I just hung up from talking to the kid.
You aren't far off. What I thought was a fountain, he said is a "globe on a pedestal with a bunch of Scientology stuff"
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Jeff: Have you attempted to pass the written test for an instrument rating? I consider myself jsut average and that test was tough. What John Travolta had to pass was far more complex. He got his wealth anyway by being above average.
I took and passed the written for instruments ...
I went to a 2 year flight program that was thru an accredited college ... flight tech degree.
Got all the class work down ... ran out of flight money/time ....
never got the license(s) ....
I'm sure it's easier when class room instructors spoon feed you the info ...
but it's the same info all the same.
Just like studing anything else ...
maybe I know too many pilots to be too impressed with some rich guy that wears a uniform to fly his own plane?
I feel I kinda know both U and Travolta ... I'd rather fly with you.
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Jeff: Thanks for wanting to fly with me....but I assure you that John Travolta is far more qualified. Give me millions to just be free as a bird and attain my ratings,,and I assure you I would not go near as far as he did.
They chose him to ride the Shuttle....what a trip...
they was saying he had almost twice the hours to be a commerical pilot
I know that they pay these guys $10 or $15 mil per film, but, I can't seem to make the math work. A 707 and a Gulfstream ? Do you have any idea what they cost to maintain ?
I remember reading an article in GQ years ago, anonymously penned by a billionaire buying and outfitting his first Gulfstream. Cost him close to $24 million. In the article he described a round trip NY to LA for a weekend jaunt. The cost ? $25,000. He compared it to buying a Toyota Camry just for the weekend and then just abandoning it ! Talk about hemmoraging money at a Michael Jackson rate !
A 40 person entourage ? If the guy wants to be able to fly into total privacy, why does he have 40 people tagging along ...................
carpenter in transition
let's see the roster here,
JT
Wife
Two kids
two Nannies too
the chef
The personal assistant
The personal trainer
an occasional official or two of the Scientologist church
The publicist
a couple of screenwriters
Cohabiting partners of some of the above
any friends or relatives that get invited to tag along
They are not all always there right on same flights. Sometimes precede or follow
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After a week of taking care of everybody else's problems, spending about 20 hours on the phone and about 8 hours in the car driving around, I just like to come home to my 6 year old boy and hang out alone with mr. peace and mr. quiet.
Call me weird, but even if I had a gazillion $, the entourage wouldn't last too long around here. Even if they were my best friends, I like to pick my time when I have others around in my own space.
saw the powerball billboard last night, $90 mil, I wouldn't mind at least a ride in a Gulfstream..............
carpenter in transition
I'm with you.
I've been carefull here to not speak for or against what he does, only to report it as I understand it. Family members work or have worked for him in his house and they are required to take a pledge to not divulge personal information from within his household so this is only what is commonly known anyway, without judgement, out of respect for his privacy.
Some of the cons you mention about having a housefull (local servants too, don't forget) are eased by having a large house. You can still have one wing all to yourself when you win that lotto.
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Lotta people with time and money find some way to blow it on $200K bathrooms ... he's done something very few non-ex-military people can do, getting those ratings. Good for him.The High Desert Group LLC
John has a great love of flying, to the extent that he named his firstborn son Jett.
But his love for flying and for excellence in certain areas of his life, does not extend to respecting other folks in all ways. He flew his big old 707 barely above treetop level here on my island, scaring the bejeebers out oif a lot of little old ladies. He had a petition started here to have the local airstrip extended and night landing lights added so he could come and go with those big babies whenever he wanted to, regardless how many people he woke up all night long. That was voted down. He employs many people here on a seasonal basis.
He loves fine food and has fine manners most of the time. But like most of the new rich, he wants what he wants when he wants it!
The place in Florida is part of a gated community with several homes arranged around the airstrip. He chose that location to build primarily because of the landing strip. It keeps him out of direct contact with much of the public when he travels. And he travels big. There is an entourage of a dozen up to forty some people who travel with him.
Scientology?
Part of that teaching and philosophy is that you deserve the very best and here is how to get it....
Maybe it works - at least for him, for now....
BTW, is there anyone who doesn't LOVE flying?
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"Scientology? Part of that teaching and philosophy is that you deserve the very best and here is how to get it.... Maybe it works - at least for him, for now...."
Piffin,
Not to veer too much here, but I've known for a while JT was one. Never really looked into the "religion" myself. Any clues or opinions as to what it's all about?
Jon
You can probablyfind out their version better by Googling.
My version is that it's a mixture of philosophy, cultism, science fiction, and hogwash.
The guy who started it was a science fiction writer who supposedly studied all the various philosophies and religions in the world in a scientific, systenmatic way to discover what works and what doesn't work to have a sucessful, happy life here on this earth. He then roled it all together into a systematic philosophy for living. It has cultlike aspects. Some accuse them of mind control, but I suppose that's no more than other religions or cults. I see their practice as more of a self-hypnosis methodology for avoiding those practices that bring negativity into our lives. Reportedly, their anti drug programs are more sucessful than most in helping narc addicts kick the habit and stay kicked. I don't know for sure. I do know of two of their members who have cleaned up considerably but - and this again is my own version or interpretation - these two are keeping clean but still carry some sort of monkey and aren't really happy on the inside. By comparison, those I know who kick old habits by re-birth in Christ find real freedom.
I would say that Scientology appeals to those who are sucess oriented, intelligent, compulsive personalities
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Hubbard bragged at a science fiction writers convention that he could write a better religion than any other out there.
A few years later....
If I survive, I have survived.
But if I have enriched someone else's life, I have succeeded.
quittintime
I guess Scientology doesn't teach folks about unnecessary excess.
Pino: Yea...imagine everyone with a 707 and a ten million dollar Gulfstream.
good thing we're not all rich, huh?
When i see stuff like that, I think "Cool" ...and as long as the guy hasn't acheived his means the Enron way, then more power to him.
Now if he throws his power around and is a general pain to those in his community, then well, thats not so cool. It's all about integrity.
Architectural Digest (and we could do a whole thread on how there is no real 'architecture' in AD!) did an intersting piece on that house, and he is huge into flying, with flying art all over the house. I think they mentioned he wants to be rated in a 747.
In any case, he put a lot of bread on a lot of guys tables who worked on that place, designed it or supplied parts to it, and there's something to be said for that.Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
It's true that he doesn't cut anybodies paycheck short when he wants something. He actually pays a bit above going rates. But he does expect a tight scedule though that's because he has no realistic concept of what it takes to fulfill his wants.
I don't know flying, but his is definitely above average intelligence and he loves flying.
He's till human like the rest of us though and has his failings.
Personally, I think he's a better pilot than he is an actor.
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I wish I was that bad an actor!
I think you're right about the circle drive..those are flagpoles or lights around a center fountain. Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Wife just showed me that there is a spread on this place in Archi digest.
My god! What an ugly house!
IMHO
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