Travolta 707 Diverted to Shannon on Monday

[silverelise]

Does anyone have any further details on the story in Today's Sun about Travolta's 707 en route from Germany to the US having to divert to Shannon due tech?

[738bus]

its complete bull! they were on the ground for about 50min to refuel, they were headin for newyork.

and they were coming from stn not germany.

[FLEXJET]

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N707JT

The last tracked flight to/from the US was towards Madrid.

[Dublinflyer]

Travolta forced to land at Shannon

IT WAS a case of when the "Boeing gets tough, the toff gets going" for multi-millionaire movie star John Travolta early yesterday.

A jet owned and flown by one of Hollywood's hottest properties was grounded at Shannon Airport after developing technical problems while returning to the US.

But the movie star of such films as 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Saturday Night Fever' does not get ruffled too easily. The delay barely broke his stride, and within a few hours both he and his entourage were aboard another privately-owned jet to continue their journey.

He had been returning to Newark in New Jersey from Munich International Airport after he appeared on a German television programme at the weekend.

His Boeing 707-138, registered N707JT which he flies himself, arrived at Shannon late on Monday night on a scheduled refuelling stop, but it could not take off again because of engine trouble.

Engineers were called in to assess the problem but decided that the jet would have to remain at Shannon until the difficulty could be rectified.

The plane is expected to stay until late this evening at the earliest.

The star is no stranger to Ireland, but this time instead of taking the chance to stop over, he hopped on another private jet, and was airborne again by the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 53-year-old flight fanatic is no stranger either to drama when it comes to flying.

In September 1999 the star's jet was involved in a mid-air scare forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Travolta, who even named his son Jett, earned his wings in 1974 and owns a Gulfstream II jet and three other aircraft.

He bought an airport near Ocala Florida and built a home right next to the 7,500-foot runway. His Boeing 707 is equipped with bedrooms, a recreation room and three dining areas.

He infuriated environmentalists recently by flying his jet to the London premiere of his new film 'Wild Hogs'. The star encouraged his fans to "do their bit" to tackle global warming and although he readily admitted "I fly jets", he failed to mention that he clocked up at least 48,000km flying over the past 12 months. This means he has produced an estimated 800 tonnes of carbon emissions in that time alone.

"I'm probably not the best candidate to ask about global warming because I fly jets. I use them as a business tool, as others do. I think it's part of this industry otherwise I couldn't be here doing this and I wouldn't be here now."

[the_hawk]

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2007/0404/travoltaj.html
...after a few hours both he and his entourage continued their journey in another privately-owned jet.
Engineers are assessing the problem with the plane, which will reportedly remain in Shannon until this evening at the earliest.

@738bus, doesn't sound like "about 50min to refuel" to me, or do you mean 50 min to refuel another plane?!

[the dean]

its in shannon. i was flying there last night.

would guess it will be a ferry flight to somewhere later to day if its not already gone...very distinctive in its quantas livery...well know in shannon.

understand he was collected in his G5....

[Easy Ryder]

its Qantas

:} :E

[the dean]

thanks easy..you're right of course..in haste its my spanish coming out...:}

dean.

[ChrisGr31]

How did his own plane get there in time to pick him up? If it had to fly across the atlantic, from the time he notified the pilot he wanted it, surely more than a few hours would have passed?

[Callsign Kilo]

It was probably following him!

[EI-LAD]

707 still in Shannon in hangar.

[parsi]

According to a conversation I overheard in a nearby hotel last night (member of the crew) the plane is due to be in Shannon until Thursday. So I went out this morning and had a gawk and got a fairly blurry picture (didn't have much with me as we were on a family trip) . Available at Flickr . (http://www.flickr.com/photos/despod)

[Rallye EI-BFP]

It went into SRS hanger on the evening of the 4th for an engine change (its still in there I believe)

It made no emergency landing- It was on a scheduled stop from somewhere in Germany

[robbreid]

Travolta Denies Emergency 707 Landing At Shannon


http://www.avweb.com/newspics/Travolta707.jpg Actor and aviation aficionado John Travolta is denying published reports that he was forced to declare an emergency while flying his personal Boeing 707 from Germany to New York last Monday. Despite reports stating he successfully landed his ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138 at Shannon, Ireland, after what reportedly were engine-related "technical difficulties," Travolta says he had landed there for a normal fuel stop but, on departure, the number-two engine starter failed. The actor/pilot reportedly chartered another airplane -- type unknown -- and continued his journey. "There was never an emergency. It was just a fuel stop and when we went to depart, the number two engine needed a new starter," Travolta said in a statement.


In 1999, another jet Travolta was flying "lost an engine" -- according to published reports -- resulting in an emergency landing at Boston. And, in 1993, a Gulfstream GII owned and being flown by Travolta experienced an electrical failure and made a late-night emergency landing at what was then the Washington National Airport. According to the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner -- near the actor's fly-in home -- "a spokesman for Shannon Airport had said Travolta was there due to 'technical difficulties.'"

[747boy]

Looks like the plane is stuck in Shannon until they get a new engine.

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1812451&issue_id=15509

[Liffy 1M]

In fact the engine has been sent to Dublin for repair.

[L1011dal]

Some great photos for spotters when Travolta was in Orlando with his 707 for a reunion with another Qantas 707 being ferried. Wow two 707's together - what a rare sight!
http://www.l1011.homestead.com/Boeing707.html