Tom Cruise's P-51

Interestingly a Californian friend wrote this :

Thanks, this was timely, I just finished watching a tape I made Friday of him on an interview show on the ABC network. The ads for the show had a P-51 siting static in the background and I was curious so I popped in a tape and sort of forgot about it. Before the interview part, the tape opens with him in flight at the controls with a female passenger and two wingmen / photo P-51s

I was surprised to see that…they had a camera mounted low on the right side of the cockpit so you could see Tom flying…and the reporter was in the back seat. Neat stuff. One of the AC was a military marked Sea Fury.
They said the Sea Fury was the photo ship but didn’t show or ID the third plane in the flight.

So that answers the question of whether Cruise can fly the Mustang solo.

So should we start a celebrity warbird thread now? Who has owned what and flown it….I know actor Cliff Robertson owned a Spitfire that used to be based at Kalamazoo a number of years ago, don’t know what happened to it….

Currently – Museum of Flight, Seattle.

Tom and his Mustang

Great thread this – what a lucky chap Tom is , sounds like he has a great life ,look forward to seeing his next aviation themed Movie

Interestingly a Californian friend wrote this :

Thanks, this was timely, I just finished watching a tape I made Friday of him on an interview show on the ABC network. The ads for the show had a P-51 siting static in the background and I was curious so I popped in a tape and sort of forgot about it. Before the interview part, the tape opens with him in flight at the controls with a female passenger and two wingmen / photo P-51s

Michael Dorn still owns (and flys) an ex-Canadian Sabre.

As I recall, Robert Conrad learned to at least Taxi the Corsairs used in the TV show ‘Black Sheep Squadron’ after meeting Boyington and being inspired by him….later he did learn to fly also, but don’t know if he ever actually flew a Corsair in the series…

So should we start a celebrity warbird thread now? Who has owned what and flown it….I know actor Cliff Robertson owned a Spitfire that used to be based at Kalamazoo a number of years ago, don’t know what happened to it….

John Travolta and his collection of planes that he flies….

Gary Numan and his T-6 and Yak….

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and his P-51, now moved on I hear…

Michael Dorn of ‘Star Trek’ fame (Worf) used to fly jet warbirds….

Any others we’re missing?

M

Here is a video link of Tom Cruise taking off in formation.

http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=1&pmmsid=1578886

Harrison Ford flying the Dornier Do-24 ATT of Iren Dornier last year at Oshkosh.

Credit – From www.do-24.com

Hi all–

Near the start of this thread there’s mention of Chuck Greenhill’s Fury T20; has Cruise purchased that aircraft?

That was what the post implied.

“I can’t recall a film in which the star actually flew an aircraft.”

Did Jimmy Stewart fly any of the aircraft in “Strategic Air Command”?

Or should I say… Brig.Gen. James M. Stewart USAF (Ret)?
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/wwii/js.htm

Brigadier General James Stewart was drafted into the Army on March 22, 1941 as a private, and was commissioned in 1942. He completed basic and advanced flight training and then instructed in AT-9s at Mather Field, California. He was a pilot in Bombardier Training School at Kirtland for six months before being transferred to Hobbs for four-engine training. An instructor on B-17s, he went to Gowen Field, stayed there for nine months, and was then made squadron commander of the 703rd Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group at Sioux City.

In the fall of 1943 the 445th moved to Tibenham, in East Anglia, as part of the 8th Air Force. In all, General Stewart is credited with twenty combat missions, all as command pilot. He led the 2nd Combat Wing – the 389th, 445th and 453rd groups – to Berlin on March 22, 1944. Early in 1944 he transferred to the 453rd Bomb Group, one of the 445th’s two sisters, as group operations officer. He returned to the States as a full Colonel in 1945.

After he was discharged from the Army Air Forces on September 29, 1945, Stewart was immediately appointed to colonel in the U.S. Army Air Forces Reserve. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1959 and retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1968. But, before retiring, the decorated officer had one last mission:
After Stewart’s death in 1997, Air Power History published a memoriam that included this little-known item: “In 1966, during his annual two weeks of active duty, Stewart requested a combat assignment and participated in a bombing strike over Vietnam. Stewart’s stepson, 1st Lt. Ronald McLean, was killed at age 24 in the Vietnam War.

In his World War II years, Stewart flew 20 combat missions, among them the tough ones: Brunswick, Bremen, Frankfurt, Schweinfurt and Berlin. His wartime decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, four Air Medals, and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.

Stewart has the distinction of having held the highest military rank of any actor, rising to the rank of Colonel in the Air Force during WWII. He later retired from the Air Force reserve as a Brigadier General. He was also an Eagle Scout, further enhancing his image as somebody who actually was the straight-arrow charactor he often portrayed on the screen.

Fury WG655

Hi all–

Near the start of this thread there’s mention of Chuck Greenhill’s Fury T20; has Cruise purchased that aircraft? I knew it was for sale, but hadn’t heard anything about a new owner (let alone a celebrity one)…

S.

Just as a mildly interesting sideline to this topic, they wanted to use one of my P-51 photos as a backdrop for the Tom Cruise TV segment, but they needed to have a response within an hour – since they were in New York and I was travelling in a far flung region of the Philippines it just wasn’t going to happen that quickly! I probably received their email a good 12 hours after they sent it.

It’s a shame, I probably could have wrung a reasonable amount of cash out of them, especially if they were pressed for time! :dev2:

Richard.

But it should make the projected BoB film Cruise is supposed to be keen on doing very interesting. If he’s soloed on a P51, a Spit or Hurricane should’nt be too much trouble. I can’t recall a film in which the star actually flew an aircraft. Weird guy but I can’t help liking him.

George Peppard had a PPL durring thre filming of “The Blue Max” and was keen to do some flying but the film company would not allow it, he was allowed to do some taxying but that was all.

Maybe we’ve hit on the reason Nicole walked…

I knew it was one colony or the other…. 😀

ZRX61,
I assume he has a very big cushion on the seat so he can see out? 😉

Extra holes in the seat tubes to raise it higher, couldn’t get FAA approval for the Mothercare booster seat… 😉

He decided to get gun bay gas tanks fitted after he & Matt flew it back from Colorado to Van Nuys & sputtered in on fumes one night. They were going to SM but couldn’t quite make it that extra 20 miles. So now he has a Mustang he can just about fly from LA to Chicago :confused:
The plane is VERY shiny as it was clear coated, which means it looks a bit messy wherever a panel has been removed & cracked it… 🙁 I’m guesssing he’l put it up for sale the first time it drags him down the runway sideways…
😀

Insurance is a problem with the Hollywood crowd, Jay Leno almost went up in TFC’s B model until his insurance people put the kybosh on that idea (when it was still red & owned by Joe)
Harrison Ford fly’s out of Santa Paula I believe? I’ve seen him at Van Nuys once or twice.

Harrison Ford did the flying for that movie a few years back about him get stranded on a tropical island with some lady, cant remember what it was called,

Six Days Seven Nights, 1998, Anne Heche. The plane was a Beaver and Harrison owns one.

But it should make the projected BoB film Cruise is supposed to be keen on doing very interesting. If he’s soloed on a P51, a Spit or Hurricane should’nt be too much trouble. I can’t recall a film in which the star actually flew an aircraft. Weird guy but I can’t help liking him.

Harrison Ford did the flying for that movie a few years back about him get stranded on a tropical island with some lady, cant remember what it was called,

He only does TV interviews when he has a new film coming out, accordingly he’ll be on ABC’s 20/20 Friday (not that I was planning to watch).

However, a promotional spot for the show aired last night and it seems they did the interview in a hangar in front of a P-51…it was a quick shot so I couldn’t see the name/noseart.

Darn…now I’ll have to watch a bit of it to see the plane.

By hyping his flying ability they’re trying to turn him into a real-life action hero…it’s a good PR tactic to get the public to focus on other issues than his “religion or cult”/lifestyle/marriage issues.

ZRX61,
I assume he has a very big cushion on the seat so he can see out? 😉

They did in the movie Wings – in 1927!!

Didn’t know you were that old DDM! Yes you’re right, Richard Arlen was a RCAF pilot and flew in the film. The stunts and crashes were done by, amongst others, famous stunt pilot Dick Grace.

As for his love life: His hangar at SM had a HUGE NZ flag on one wall

Maybe we’ve hit on the reason Nicole walked…

But it should make the projected BoB film Cruise is supposed to be keen on doing very interesting. If he’s soloed on a P51, a Spit or Hurricane should’nt be too much trouble. I can’t recall a film in which the star actually flew an aircraft. Weird guy but I can’t help liking him.

They did in the movie Wings – in 1927!!