John Travolta Celebrates 69th Birthday In His Lavish Floridian Home, Which Features Its Own Airport

Feb 18, 2023

John Travolta has been a celebrity for decades, as he rose to fame in the 1970s. Most people know him for his roles in many successful films, such as “Grease,” “Saturday Night Fever” and “Pulp Fiction.” After enjoying massive success as an actor, producer, singer and dancer, it seems the man has decided to focus more on his passion for planes.

Many people often dream of having a standard-sized helipad at their homes. Travolta has more than this; he has a world-class airport at his estate in Florida!

Travolta’s home is located in Ocala, Florida, more than an hour outside of Orlando. The house is situated in a residential airpark known as the Jumbolair Aviation Estates. Travolta and his late wife, Kelly Preston, were among the first couples to own property on this estate.

Ever since he was a young boy, Travolta has always been a fan of airplanes, according to an Airport Journals profile on the actor. He would spend a lot of time staring at planes flying into the airport close to where he lived.

“Because of the path of LaGuardia Airport, the planes were about 2,000 feet by the time they got to my house,” he told Airport Journals in 2007. “I’d hear one coming, the drone of the big reciprocal engines—’brooooooom.’ I’d see it come out from a corner of the sky, and then I would sit and watch. Sometimes, I could make out the insignia of the airlines—TWA, Eastern, American or United. It was beautiful to watch them come in sight and go out of sight. A lot of Constellations left LaGuardia; 6s and 7s were popular, too. It was the height of the large propeller airliner days, and it was fascinating.”

When he turned 16, Travolta had his first flying lessons. About four years later, he had already purchased his first plane, an Ercoupe. A while later, he grew out of the one-seater plane and got a Douglas DC-3. After that, he purchased a Lockheed Constellation and then the Boeing 707, the pride of his plane collection.

By the time Travolta was celebrating his 22nd birthday, he had earned his own pilot’s license. Later on, he received his certification to fly different types and sizes of aircraft. Since the actor received the license, he has flown his planes for over 5,000 hours, according to Airport Journals' 2007 piece. A lot of the money he has earned as an actor has gone to his enviable life as a pilot, settling his upkeep costs, travel expenses and the lessons he keeps getting to ensure his flying skills are up to date. When you’ve dedicated your life to flying, it makes sense to live in an airport. Today, Travolta can pop out of his door, hop into one of his planes and fly away.

The 550-acre Jumbolair Aviation Estates was specifically built for people looking to fly in and out of their homes. Travolta and his wife moved to the estate in the late 1990s, although it’s not entirely clear when the couple bought the home. It has always been Travolta’s dream to have planes in his yard given his passion for flying, and with the help of his late wife, he achieved that dream.

“It was always John’s dream to have planes in his front yard — to practically be able to pull up to the house — so that when you wanted to go to dinner, all you’d have to do was step out the door, get on the plane and whisk off,” Preston told Architectural Digest in 2007. 

Per the Australian Today show, Travolta said, “We designed the house for the jets and have access the world at a moment’s notice." 

"I was five years old when I fell in love with aviation. It's in my blood,” he said in the Today interview. He continued by saying, "You can be the ultimate eccentric, like I am, and bring in Boeing 707, but you can also bring in any corporate jet or airliner."

When Travolta first moved to the home, he bought his Boeing 707, which he called the “Jett Clipper Ella.” He named the plane after his kids. The actor doesn’t own the 707 anymore, however. In 2017, he donated the aircraft to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society.

“I’m a romantic, so I’m going to get on a 707 and feel like I’m the guy I was admiring as a child, in the masterful 707 or a big airliner,” he told Airport Journals. “I’m going to dramatize it—an illusion of yesteryear, of heyday. I get a bigger kick out of the 707, yet I don’t really care what plane I’m in; I love being in one.”

According to the actor's interview with Architectural Digest, the house is not exactly modern; rather, it’s a midcentury-style home. Travolta and Preston specifically wanted to view their airplanes from every room in the house, and they worked with professionals to ensure that happened.

Architect Morris Lapidus, who is known to have designed the curved windows in Fontainebleau Hilton Resort’s lobby in Miami, inspired the large glass windows in Travolta’s home. The windows on the tall, curved walls facilitate the outdoor views.

It’s also difficult to miss the elegant custom hardwood floors, the dark cabinets and many high-end appliances scattered around the spacious house. The dining area is as convenient as it is impressive. Among other things, it features a long oak table and a large seating area, making it ideal for a large family. The actor’s home also features a large, comfortable living area with cozy couches and other incredible pieces of furniture. The gorgeous family photos and lovely artwork hanging on the tall walls also complement the space quite well.

The house also has six bedrooms and incredible floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the plane pavilions and tarmac. One of the planes that can be easily seen is the Gulfstream II jet that is often parked in one of the pavilions. The large mansion also has a luxurious backyard with living areas and a magnificent pool. Other features that always seem to impress everyone who sees or hears of them are the personal state-of-the-art airport, beautiful balcony patios and the conspicuous bright white exterior. The movie star designed the mini-airport that’s near the house’s main entrance to have large trees and grass surrounding its hangar.

It’s worth noting that Travolta once stated that the mansion is “overbuilt” and that the walls are “thicker” than necessary. He also mentioned that the house contains more metal than it needs to have.

As mentioned earlier, Travolta has flown many types of planes. Actually, he is so passionate about aviation that he has a whole area in his home dedicated to his accomplishments. The flight enthusiast and pilot is said to have an office that contains his Qantas 747 pilot certificate and his American Airlines Boeing 707 pilot certificate. It’s also the place you’d find his award for excellence in aviation. He received the accolade from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Besides being an official ambassador for Qantas Airlines, as Airport Journals reports, Travolta holds the highest pilot medical certification possible.

In 1993, the Travoltas acquired a 2.35-acre home in Los Angeles' Brentwood neighborhood, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The $3.5 million property featured an 8,100-square-foot main house, a tennis court, seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a large swimming pool and a spacious playground. They sold the home in January 2020 to Scooter Braun, their next-door neighbor, for $18 million. In 2014, Braun had purchased the lot next door for $13.1 million. In September 2019, the Travoltas added a villa in Calabasas to their portfolio after purchasing it for $2.65 million.

The family also owns a 50-acre property in Maine and a mansion in Clearwater, Florida. The actor, singer, dancer and producer from Englewood, New Jersey, has a net worth of $250 million. Despite the actor's professional success, Travolta has also faced his fair share of tragedies.

In January of 2009, Travolta’s 16-year-old son, Jett Travolta, died during a vacation in the Bahamas, according to the BBC. The boy died after suffering a seizure. 

"Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered," Travolta wrote in a statement posted on his website.

"We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time that we had with him for the rest of our lives."

One year after the Travoltas lost him, they lost their two family dogs. The canines were run over and killed in an accident at Maine's Bangor International Airport, as ABC News reports. Reportedly, the airport service pickup truck driver did not see the two dogs while approaching the airplane.

After healing from the two incidents, the family once again experienced another horrific incident. Travolta’s wife lost her battle with breast cancer in July 2020. After struggling with the condition for two years, she died at the age of 57. Travolta married the actress in 1991, and they had three children together. The couple had been married for almost 29 years.

Here’s what the actor posted on Instagram following Preston's death:

"It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.  My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while.  But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal."

The family had to celebrate their first Christmas without Preston in December 2020. Many described Travolta’s late wife as a courageous, strong and loving woman. Travolta has led a successful life. He is one of Hollywood's most beloved actors, and he has many popular big-budget films to back his fame. However, what's great about the actor is the fact that he discovered his passion and decided to stick with it.

Despite the many hardships the Travolta family has faced in the past decade, the actor continues to do what he does best, working in showbusiness and updating fans on his most recent projects on Instagram. One of his most recent endeavors was a role in a popular 2021 Super Bowl advertisement for Miracle-Gro. 

"Super Bowl for me is a major yearly celebration," the actor said in a Feb. 2021 statement to People. "When Scotts Miracle-Gro asked me to do an ad for the Super Bowl with my daughter I was thrilled, especially since we were asked to dance together. We had a blast honoring the backyard along with all of these wonderful people, in our 'Sunday Best' for Super Bowl Sunday."

"Each year I always look forward to watching the Super Bowl and all of the great commercials," John Travolta's daughter Ella Travolta added. "When Scotts Miracle-Gro offered my dad and I this opportunity, I was overjoyed to share this amazing experience — not to mention dance together!! We are so excited to pay homage to the backyard along with all of these incredible people and are 'feeling good' spending time outside on this Super Bowl Sunday."

The advertisement, which has accumulated millions of views on YouTube since its release, also features celebrities like Leslie David Baker of "The Office" and television personality Martha Stewart.

Stewart's final line in the commercial sums John's life up pretty nicely. After she watches John and his daughter bust some moves, she says, "He's still got it."

We're excited to see what John and his family have planned for the future. Who knows what the actor's next role could be? Could he finally get his dream role as a Bond villain? Will he keep starring in high-profile advertisements? Only time will tell.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have your own runway at your home? Let us know your thoughts — and let others know about this article.