Private Jets of the Rich and Famous
There are private jets - and then there are private jets.
Ever wonder what the wealthiest fly from appointment to appointment and from house to house? Here's a look inside some of the most expensive and luxurious private air craft in the skies.
Ever wonder what the wealthiest fly from appointment to appointment and from house to house? Here's a look inside some of the most expensive and luxurious private air craft in the skies.
- Air Force One.
Interesting fact: Air Force One is the call sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the President.
But more commonly, Air Force One refers to two custom Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that carries President Obama on various domestic and international visits.
Air Force One carries the tail codes 28000 and 29000, and the designation VC-25A.
The President's plane contains 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive Presidential suite and quarters for the President's senior advisors, Secret Service and press.
Air Force one has also been heavily modified with secure communications systems, magnetic pulse-proof electronic equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air stairs and the ability to refuel in-flight. - Donald Trump's Boeing 727-23.
Talk about billionaire bling.
After Donald Trump recently purchased Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Boeing 757 for around $100 million, he then dropped another $100k on a refurbish job to bring it up to his gold standard - literally.
According to a video tour given by Trump's assistant, Amanda Miller, the main cabin seats 43 guests and features all-leather sleeper seats adorned with the Trump family crest, 24-karat gold plated seat belts and personal audio/visual systems with thousands of DVDs and CDs on demand throughout the cabin.
The main lounge is equipped with a Hollywood screening room-quality "sky theater system" with a 57-inch screen and DVR access to Mr.
Trump's favorite movies and music.
The Donald's airborne master bedroom features a custom-built bed with pillows featuring the Trump family crest, yards of gold silk adorning the cabin walls, a shower and 24-karat gold plated sink.
The cockpit has been upgraded to a state-of-the-art flat panel glass display.
Under the hood is a Rolls Royce engine capable of pushing up to 500 miles per hour.
The plane has an approximate 16-hour flight range. - Iron Maiden's Ed Force One Boeing 757-200.
When heavy metal icons, Iron Maiden, embarked on their 2007 "Somewhere Back in Time" tour, they announced they would be traversing the globe in their own custom plane.
Not unusual for a million-selling, well-established band.
What made it interesting was lead singer Bruce Dickinson piloted the aircraft the entire tour.
Dickinson has a commercial pilot's license and was a charter pilot and captain for the now-defunct British airline, Astraeus.
Iron Maiden leased the Boeing 757-200 from Astraeus, and customized to fly the five members of Maiden, a full flight crew, 60 band crew members, and 12 tons of stage equipment.
He plane was also given a custom paint job featuring the famous Iron Maiden logo from cockpit to wing, and the band's long-time mascot, "Eddie the 'Ead," colorfully featured on the tail wing.
The plane was christened Ed Force One, after band mascot Eddie, a name created by a fan.
This unique flying tour bus approach allowed the band to crisscross the globe, and play some countries for the first time. - Jimmy Buffett's Various Planes.
Jimmy Buffett is best-known for his song and multi-million dollar brand, Margaritaville.
But he is also a pilot, avid aviator and plane collector.
Buffett received his pilot's license shortly after his 40th birthday, and has been flying for more than 20 years.
He has owned many planes over the years, starting with a lake Renegade seaplane, a former military Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibian aircraft called "the Hemisphere Dancer," a Cessna Citation business jet, a Falcon 50 and a Grumman Widgeon.
Buffett's flying career has not been without incident.
In 1994, he was performing a water takeoff in his Grumman Widgeon when a swell caused the aircraft to nose over and sink.
Buffett escaped relatively uninjured, thanks to Naval survival training he had taken.
And in 1996, Buffett landed his Hemisphere Dancer on the water in Negril, Jamaica, and was promptly shot at by police, who thought it was a drug-smuggling plane! Buffett's humor remained intact, and he wrote the song, "Jamaica Mistaica.
" Buffett currently has four planes registered as "Strange Bird, Inc.
", including a 1954 Grumman HU-16, 1941 Boeing E75 Stearman, 1998 Cessna Caravan 208 and a 1992 Dassault-Breguet Mystere Falcon 900. - John Travolta's Boeing 707.
Famous actor and pilot John Travolta not only owns and flies his own Boeing 707, his home near Ocala, Florida has a built-in, working airport terminal! The main house includes a small control tower.
Travolta is the Goodwill Ambassador for Qantas Airlines, and his 707 is painted in vintage Qantas colors.
In October 2011, Travolta's plane was used and filmed for the TV show, "Pan Am.
" The plane was wrapped in vinyl to appear as a vintage 1960s Pan Am jet.
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