Super Fly: Celebrities and Airplanes
Kitty Kelley’s recent tell-all biography of Oprah Winfrey revealed that the talk-show diva owns a $47 million Bombardier BD-700 Global Express high-speed jet. According to biographer Kelley, when Winfrey upgraded from a $40 million Gulfstream in 2006, she also spent $1 million refurbishing her hang…
Kitty Kelley's recent tell-all biography of Oprah Winfrey revealed that the talk-show diva owns a $47 million Bombardier BD-700 Global Express high-speed jet. According to biographer Kelley, when Winfrey upgraded from a $40 million Gulfstream in 2006, she also spent $1 million refurbishing her hangar. The unauthorized biography also claims that when Winfrey flies between Chicago (where her show is taped) and Santa Barbara (where she owns a home), "If Oprah is asleep on either leg of the flight, her pilots are under orders not to disturb her until she's slept eight hours.... They must sit and wait until she wakes up."
Other examples of celebrities and their aviation-related demands abound. The Washington Post ran a piece on April 18, 2010 that included this tidbit about New York's Rudy Giuliani, who requires that any private aircraft on which he flies "...MUST BE a Gulfstream IV or bigger." Former governor Sarah Palin requires her transportation be a "Lear 60 or larger (as defined by interior cabin space) for West Coast Events; or, a Hawker 800 or larger (as defined by interior cabin space) for East Coast Events and both are subject to the Speaker's approval."
iVillage reports that actor Jim Carrey, who owns a Gulf Stream, insists that if an airplane is used in any of his films (either as background or as transportation), that the film company first offer to charter his personal aircraft.
Know of any other examples? Add a comment below.