Actor's airplanes

The television newsman Hugh Downs has written from time to time about some of his flying adventures...I know he's owned a Tiger Moth and certainly loved the gal.

John Rood
Boston, Mass. USA

[krlang]

Hmmm,
I believe that JT's gulfstream is an older G-II and the 707 is the coolest RV I have ever been in.
Harry Ford was in Boston one day while we were there getting a Lear 24 started, He was flying the green Beaver
Whoopie?
I thought Whoopie was a bartender?

[Don Martin]

Here's Johnny's! (Again!)

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4244412&a=31447608&p=69776971

[Steve T]

Hi all--

Yep, Michael Dorn did own a Hispano HA200 Saeta, N105MD. This was before he acquired an ex-SAAF Canadair Sabre. The Saeta showed up at a couple Wings of Eagles events in NY care of its next owner. Nifty little ship. (Guess with all those Warbirds, Worf really shoulda been Romulan!)

John Travolta's 707 showed up on TV a few weeks ago when A&E broadcast their bio of him. Early jet airliners in that condition are a rare sight indeed these days. A real beauty. I think his Vamp was an ex-Aussie T.35, but am not sure. He was also at one point reported to be acquiring one of the two C-121A/L749A Constellations once operated by ConifAir in Quebec, but as far as I know that did not come to fruition (though I think both those Connies did survive; one of them became the MATS Connie).

Cliff Robertson's lovely, shiny Spit IX was a regular on our local circuit for many years, based variously at Chicago and Windsor. I never saw it flown by anyone other than Canadian ex-RAF Spit driver Jerry Billing; it was pure pleasure to watch Mr B make "5J-Z" dance...and on one memorable June morning in 1982, give me a grand Rotol haircut on the old flightline at Mt.Hope. "5J-Z" was the first Spit I saw in the air. Cliff Robertson had bought MK923 after it and he had both been involved in filming "The Longest Day". I think that if he ever did fly it, it was during the first couple years he owned it. During the 70s and 80s, Robertson would have been in California most of the time...while the Spit was in the midwest US or in Ontario, convenient for Jerry Billing...and all those sublime aerobatic routines we well remember around here in those years.

S.

[James Church]

Hi Steve,
Travolta did indeed what is now the MATS Connie. He was the owner before Vern Raburn. Growing up in Detroit, just accross the river from Windsor, I have some very fond memories of good old MK923 being put through its paces by Mr. Billing at airshows in the area. What a treat that was....
Jim

[AirJimL2]

Hi all--
I think his Vamp was an ex-Aussie T.35, but am not sure.

Steve,

Nope. Travolta had ex-RCAF 17072/N6878D. He also had Canadair Teburn N401AG after the Vamp. See:

http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2001/travolta.html

Must be something about those Canadian jets!

Also the Canadian actor Paul Soles used to fly a Fleet Finch.

Jim

[B-29 Super Fort]

[RareBear]

If you look at the photo below, the Gulfstream has winglets. The G-IV was the first of the series to have them.

Walt

The late Steve McQueen reportedly owned a bunch of airplanes but I have never seen a listing of just what they were or where they went to after his dieath from cancer.
I gather the machines were more antique than warbirds.

Any heads up on this querie ?

Alright heres the details, (although not warbird related)
Johnny's Gulfstream is a G-II with a set of Aviation Partners Blended Winglets installed. Its not a G-IIB (G-II with G-III wings)
The G-III had more squared winglets installed from the factory
The G-IV also has the squared off winglets but has the much larger Tay engines

What about Whoopie!

[Jack Cook]

Not an actor, but didn't Johnny Rutherford the race car driver own a p-51?Didn't some NFL star buy Bob love's P-51?

Last edited by Jack Cook on Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Jack Cook]

Steve McQueen had a bunch of antiques at Santa Paula. Jeff Wright and his dad along with a group of friends flew their antiques en mass down there years ago. Steve tried to buy some of their airplanes on the spot. Jeff will probably know what types he owned.

John Travolta's Gulfstream is indeed a GII. This is the airplane that he almost killed himself in when he had a double alt failure and gang barred the electrical sytem thus loosing all power completely (once the batteries ran down) I have worked on his GII numerous time when I worked for Gulfstream. One of his current Gulfstream pilots flys contract on our GIV occasionally. His airplanes sit out in front of our hanger all the time. Not too long ago he was out there all dressed up in his Quantis uniform with a camera crew and a bunch of different models in in flight crew uniforms for some magazine shoot.

[Randy Haskin]

Didn't some NFL star buy Bob love's P-51?

Russ Francis.

hmmm