We would all like to be rich and famous, but before we rise to those ranks, we are happy enough to keep tabs on how the other half lives. Many people view celebrities as status symbols, and it all boils down to how they present themselves publicly.
They earn the big bucks and are not afraid to splurge on luxury vehicles, grand mansions, and excesses like private jets. Here is a list of some of our favorite stars who ditched commercial travel long ago in favor of choppers, planes, and just about every other form of air travel.
Harrison Ford - Bell 407
Harrison Ford is the man who gave us stellar performances in films like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. His six-decade-long career has seen him bank around $300 million. Away from the screen, Ford is a well-known aviation enthusiast.
He's attended just about every air show hosted in his lifetime, and at the prime age of 52, he started flying. Ford's first purchase was a Gulfstream II, and his fleet now includes a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and a Bell 407. He used the Bell 407 craft to rescue a hiker who was lost in Teton County.
Madonna - Unknown
Most of us have heard the classic '80s hits Like a Prayer, La Isla Bonita, and Take a Bow. Madonna is the singer behind the endless list of singles, and now at 61, she's still making new music and going on tours.
Along the way, Madonna also had two children and four more through adoption. She's always on the go and will regularly take helicopter rides to different venues. Madonna hauls her brood along with her on such trips. Case in point, when she took time off from her tour back in 2008 so that she could enjoy a scenic ride around New York with her kids.
Mariah Carey - Unknown
Mariah Carey is behind some timeless '90s/2000s anthems like Always Be My Baby, When You Believe, and Hero. The Guinness World Records even dubbed her the "Songbird Supreme" because of her incredible five-octave vocal range. She's still making music and also making money while at it, with $320 million to her name.
Carey is known for her liberal ways when it comes to spending her hard-earned fortunes. She has a garage full of expensive vehicles, including a Maybach 57 and 62 and a Rolls Royce Phantom. However, she prefers to fly whenever she can, and back in 2015, she did charter a private flight to visit the Six Flags Great Adventure with her family.
Angelina Jolie - Cirrus SR22-G2
Angelina Jolie is one of the most recognized Hollywood stars the world over. It all began when she delivered a memorable performance in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Many respect Jolie for the efforts she extends to the humanitarian field championing for the rights of refugees.
She hops on a helicopter quite frequently, and even more impressive is the fact that she pilots the crafts most of the time. Jolie took to the skies back in 2004 after passing her flying test and treated herself to a Cirrus SR22-G2 that costs about $334K. She even dropped $1.6 million for flying lessons and a helicopter for Brad Pitt's birthday in 2012.
Bella Hadid - Unknown
Bella Hadid epitomizes a jet-setting lifestyle because she's always somewhere walking the runways. She started modeling at two for Guess. As an adult, Bella is best known for her work with Sports Illustrated. That's why at just 23, she has a net worth of $25 million.
Back in 2017, Bella went on an impromptu aerial tour of the Statue of Liberty aboard a helicopter. She was headed upstate to visit the thoroughbred horse she owns. Bella previously told Teen Vogue that a Lyme disease diagnosis cut short her dream of becoming an Olympic equestrian.
Billie Eilish - Unknown
Billie Eilish might only be 18 years old, but she's perhaps amongst the list of trending pop stars at the moment. She has five Grammys, two Guinness World Records, and two American Music Awards to her name along with a list of other accolades.
Eilish has also enjoyed the luxury of getting around in a helicopter. Early in January 2020, she lived it up on a trip to Hawaii with her friends. The itinerary included kayaking, zip-lining, and a helicopter ride. Unsurprisingly, Eilish indulged in all the activities wearing her signature baggy clothes.
Keanu Reeves - Unknown
Keanu Reeves earned his spot as a Hollywood A-lister through his performances in blockbusters like The Matrix and John Wick series of films. We may identify with him as a sci-fi star, but Reeves has appeared in a couple of comedies like the Bill and Ted movies.
Besides just about every action film he appears in where he rides a helicopter, Reeves also switches things up in his personal life by traveling by air. San Francisco residents weren't too happy with his upcoming film, Matrix 4 because the filming in February 2020 interfered with their tranquility. They allegedly had fireballs lighting up the night sky and five helicopters flying at 300 feet above the ground.
Scott Disick - Unknown
Scott Disick started out modeling for the cover of teen romance novels before he shot to fame on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. He's Kourtney Kardashian's ex, and they share three children. In addition to his reality TV career, he also has a clothing line called Talentless. He also does club gigs, which contributes to his $40 million fortune.
Back in 2014, Disick, who isn't a stranger to chopper rides, shared a photo of a sleek black helicopter on Instagram. He captioned the photo explaining that he had gone from buying cars to shopping for helicopters.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds - Unknown
Blake Lively is famous from Gossip Girl, but she also gave us what is, in our opinion, her best performance in The Shallows. In 2020, she kicked off the year with an appearance in the action drama The Rhythm Section. Blake is married to Ryan Reynolds, and they have three children together.
Before Reynolds came along, Lively dated Leonardo DiCaprio. In 2011, DiCaprio treated her to a romantic getaway to France involving a helicopter ride. They had a $500 lunch at the swanky La Colombe d'Or Restaurant. They also stayed at the Hotel de Paris, where a night's stay in their best suite costs about $5K.
James Cameron - JetRanger Helicopter
You can't mention James Cameron and fail to talk about the best-selling box office hits he is behind, including Avatar and the Terminator series of films. With talks about multiple sequels of some of his biggest hits, including Avatar, Cameron's $700 million fortune might rise.
Cameron spends part of his earnings on luxuries like a yacht, a fleet of submarines, three Harleys, a Humvee fire truck, and he also owns a Jet Ranger. Cameron's film company Lighthouse faced a lawsuit in 2012 when two Australian filmmakers he collaborated with died following a helicopter crash. Writer/producer Andrew Wright and cameraman Mike deGruy were working on Cameron's DeepSea Challenge documentary at the time.
Burt Reynolds - Unknown
The entertainment industry truly lost a star when Burt Reynolds died in 2018 from a heart attack. Reynolds gained prominence in the '60s when he appeared in the TV series Gunsmoke. He then featured in an endless list of box office hits, and he was soon winning awards in recognition of his incredible talent.
Reynolds bought a helicopter simply because he wanted to be able to land it in his front yard. He also famously admitted that he loaded up manure in his chopper and had his pilot fly over the National Enquirer's HQ. He then dumped the manure over their Christmas tree because they had been writing unfavorable news about him for decades.
Jimmy Buffett - Grumman HU-16
Jimmy Buffet achieved success as a musician, actor, author, and business owner. His record sales combined with the Margaritaville franchise of hotels and casinos helped him create $550 million in wealth. Buffet owned a Grumman HU-16, which he crashed in Nantucket, Massachusetts, back in 1994.
His extensive fleet also includes a '98 caravan set of floats and a '39 seaplane. In 1996 he had another close call when Jamaican police shot at his plane. It was a case of mistaken identity with the authorities thinking it was a plane owned by drug runners. Buffet even made a song out of it and included Jamaica Mistaica in his 1996 album.
Sean Combs - YV208T
Call him P.Diddy, Diddy, or Sean Combs - he started as a rapper, then ventured into music production and finally built an empire through entrepreneurship. Combs Enterprises comprises a clothing line, equity in Revolt TV, and a stake in Ciroc vodka.
Combs owns a YV208T jet, but he had to temporarily ground it back in 2008 because of high fuel costs. He estimated that a single trip on it set him back by $250K. That's why Combs decided to go back to commercial flights, but at least he was flying first class. Combs still splurges on private jets, like when he chartered a second craft on one occasion to ferry his luggage to Rome from France.
Kanye West - Unknown
Kanye West is a critically acclaimed musician behind the commercially successful 2004 album The College Dropout. Several albums later Kanye launched Good Music, partnered with Nike to create the Air Yeezys, and then he unveiled a women's fashion label.
Kanye also enjoys the finer things like helicopter rides and even has his food flown to him when the craving strikes. In 2007, he made a particular order of a 5-foot-long Ayre fish from the British Raj dining establishment. He then had the head chef, Kaysor Ahmen, and the food flown to New York on a helicopter.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift has raked in $320 million out of belying out narrative songs inspired by her personal experiences in life. She's even managed to garner 6 Guinness World Records along with a long list of music awards.
Back when she was dating Tom Hiddleston, the pair were inseparable. They even went on a romantic getaway while in Rome aboard a helicopter in 2016. Tom and Taylor made the most out of their trip to the Italian capital, including paying a visit to The Colosseum. Taylor has since moved on, and since 2016, she's been dating Joe Alwyn.
Selena Gomez & Cara Delevingne - Unknown
Selena Gomez has come a long way since her Barney & Friends days. She now has several more credits in her portfolio, including executive producing 13 Reasons Why and Living Undocumented. Cara Delevingne, on the other hand, is also a successful model and actress.
Back in 2014, the two BFFs went on an epic weekend getaway, and they were generous enough to share photos from the occasion on Instagram. They were vacationing in Saint Tropez to mark Selena's 22nd birthday. Their trip included riding jet skis, jumping off of a yacht, and a gala dinner hosted by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
Katy Perry - Unknown
Hard to imagine, but Katy Perry ventured into the music industry as a gospel singer before becoming the pop star she is now. One of the Boys is the album that helped her rise to fame with hit singles like Hot n Cold, and I Kissed a Girl.
A helicopter provided the perfect setting for Orlando Bloom to propose to Perry in 2019. She shared her engagement story on Jimmy Kimmel, saying that it started with a bottle of bubbly. Bloom gave her a note to read, hoping to divert her attention as he fished the ring box out from his pocket. It didn't exactly go as planned, but she said Yes.
Kim Kardashian - Unknown
Kim Kardashian is partly credited with helping her family get a reality show. She was once a stylist to the stars, and now she runs a business empire. Kim is behind the Kardashians Kollection in partnership with Sears, the KKW beauty line, and let's not forget all the endorsement cheques she receives.
Kim and her family are no strangers to helicopter rides. When she was expecting her second child, she flew to Glastonbury for Kanye West's performance back in 2015. In 2017, Kim shared photos of the helicopter ride she took with her sisters while they were vacationing in Costa Rica.
Kylie Jenner - Unknown
Kim's younger sister, Kylie Jenner, has accomplished quite a lot at just the age of 22. Forbes recognized her as one of the youngest self-made women, thanks to her collection of beauty products. Kylie is also one of the most influential people on Instagram, and her following on the platform has massively helped her market her beauty products.
She is also a frequent helicopter flier, but she got some flack for it following Kobe Bryant's unfortunate death early in 2020. When sharing her condolences on Instagram, she mentioned that she had used the very same helicopter that claimed Bryant's life in the past. Some people accused her of trying to make the ordeal all about her.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth - Unknown
Miley Cyrus made it big as a teen idol on Hannah Montana before she launched her music career. She's now behind several hits, including her 2019 release Don't Call Me Angel for Charlie's Angels. Miley split up with Liam Hemsworth, who she married in December 2018.
When things were good between them, they were often spotted up and about together. Like in 2016 when Hemsworth took her on a tour of his native country Australia. They flew in a luxury helicopter to the Brisbane airport, where they were photographed as they touched down.
Justin Bieber - Unknown
Justin Bieber gained fame at just the age of 13. When he released his debut EP in 2009, he had seven songs make it on the charts. Bieber dropped a single Yummy in early 2020, after five years of nothing but collaborations, followed by his fifth album. He is also now a married man with his troubled teen days left behind.
Back in 2018, when they were still dating, he took a helicopter ride to meet her parents in New York. It wasn't his first chivalrous act involving a chopper. In 2012 when he was dating Selena Gomez, he rented a helicopter to take them to the classical repertory theater in Stratford, Ontario.
James Packer - Sikorsky S-76
James Packer grew up with the proverbial silver spoon, and he soon inherited control over his family's media enterprise. He formerly served as the Crown Resorts executive chairman, and he now serves as a director with a significant stake in the casino group.
Packer is worth $3.7 billion, explaining why his assets include a superyacht, a luxury cruise ship, an Aston Martin DB9 amongst several other vehicles, and a Sikorsky S-76 chopper. The craft is a Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation creation. It boasts of retractable landing gear, turbo-shaft twin engines, and the capacity to accommodate 12 passengers.
Tom Cruise - Gulfstream IV
Tom Cruise didn't make his way up to the ranks of commanding the best pay in Hollywood by fluke. He's incredibly talented, as seen through his performances in films like Rain Man, A Few Good Men, and Jerry Maguire. Cruise will feature in the 2020 drama Top Gun: Maverick.
He's the proud owner of a Gulfstream IV jet that can accommodate 19 people as well as two crew members. Cruise even chose to forgo CGI and piloted a plane when filming the upcoming Top Gun sequel back in 2019. In 1994, he got his pilot's license after falling in love with aviation following the filming of Top Gun in 1986.
Ariana Grande - Gulfstream G650
Ariana Grande started her climb to fame on Broadway before landing a role in the Nickelodeon series Victorious. She even recorded songs for the show's soundtrack, and in 2011, she signed with Republic Records. Ariana has released five albums with her latest release being Thank U, Next in 2019.
She regularly enjoys helicopter rides and will often charter a jet to Boca Raton, Florida - her home. Ariana also shares photos from such trips as in 2018 when she shared a chopper with Mac Miller en route to Coachella, where she offered a surprise performance.
Bill Gates - Bombardier BD-700 Global Express
Bill Gates doesn't need an introduction because he's almost synonymous with the Microsoft Corporation. Gates was also a microcomputer revolution pioneer in the '70s and '80s. Except for four years, Forbes listed him as the world's richest person between 1995 to 2017.
Besides his well-known estate, which is dubbed Xanadu 2.0, Gates owns a Bombardier BD-700. The jet, much like his super mansion, is customized to meet his technology needs. He admitted to Ellen DeGeneres that his plane, which cost an estimated $45 million, and his Porsche were his two biggest indulgences.
Jim Carrey - Gulfstream V
The series In Living Color and film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective were amongst Jim Carrey's first appearances. He soon established himself as a slapstick comedic actor. Carrey even scooped up Golden Globes for his roles in Man on the Moon and The Truman Show.
He has an impressive collection of vehicles, including a Mercedes SL63 and a Porsche Panamera. However, Carrey still chooses to fly regularly. Luckily, he has a Gulfstream V. The jet is described as a limo with wings because it's spacious enough for 16 passengers. Carrey also makes the most out of his investment by hiring the plane out for $8K per hour.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - Gulfstream G650
Everyone agrees that Dwayne' The Rock' Johnson is a hard worker, and that's why he's amongst the list of best-paid actors in the business. He was previously a professional wrestler, but he soon decided to focus on acting.
Johnson spends his fortune on custom vehicles, food, family, and he also has a private plane. When he needs to get to film sets or movie premieres, he simply hops into his Gulfstream G650. The jet is worth an estimated $65 million, but it probably didn't dent Johnson's pockets too much because he's worth $320 million.
Celine Dion - Bombardier Global Express
Since the '80s, we've enjoyed an endless list of hit songs by Celine Dion. She earned global attention when she released her English albums, Talk About Love and Falling Into You. Decades later and after recovering from a surgical procedure to fix a hearing irregularity, Dion continues making music.
She owns one of the costliest jets out there, a Bombardier BD-700 Express worth about $42 million. The plane offers features like private bathrooms, a living area, and a full kitchen. Dion can accommodate up to 18 people to travel with her alongside a flight crew as well as two flight attendants.
Clint Eastwood - EGB AS350 Helicopter
Clint Eastwood found his footing in Hollywood when he starred in Sergio Leone's '60s Dollar Trilogy including Man With No Name. It wasn't long before he was directing films like the award-nominated dramas Changeling and Invictus.
For a man who is always on the go, Eastwood has an EGB AS350 helicopter at his disposal. He is an FAA licensed pilot, and Eastwood told 60 Minutes that's the best thing he likes about flying - he has the freedom to go wherever he wants. Eastwood added that he's landed on friends' front yards. He also flies to the studios so that he doesn't have to bother with traffic.
Beyonce and Jay-Z - Bombardier Challenger 850 Learjet
Beyonce and Jay-Z are a power couple to reckon with when it comes to the music industry. Forbes estimates their combined fortunes at $1.4 billion coming from their ventures in music, ownership of D'Ussé cognac and Armand de Brignac champagne, and brand endorsement deals.
Beyonce gifted Jay Z a Bombardier Challenger 850 Learjet that comes with all the bells and whistles worth $40 million. The craft can accommodate up to 16 passengers. It also has a living room decked out with cream-colored leather furniture. Some of its other standout features include a master bedroom, two bathrooms, and a kitchen.