It’s Top Gun Tom... on a flying lesson
This will take his breath away!
AS TOP GUN fighter pilot ‘Maverick’, Tom Cruise was a reckless daredevil in the air.
But now the A-lister is learning to fly a helicopter for real – and he’s taking a far more responsible approach.
The star took a lesson in the skies over London last week, and before he started, he was spotted carefully inspecting his aircraft, then taking about ten minutes to familiarise himself with its controls.
Wearing Maverick’s trademark Aviator shades, he then took off in the 18-year-old Eurocopter AS350 from the heliport at Battersea.
Flight records available online show he flew for about half an hour west to Berkshire before turning around for the return trip.
One onlooker told The Mail on Sunday: ‘I was running past the heliport and recognised his voice before I saw him. I couldn’t believe it was him. He was chatting to what looked like an instructor, and then he got into the helicopter and off he went.’
Cruise, 53, has held a pilot’s licence for more than 20 years, and has a number of jets and a Second World War P-51 Mustang fighter among his impressive aircraft collection.
Now he seems to be expanding his skills. He has been spotted three times at the London Heliport in the past month, and has previously been seen undergoing instruction in Surrey. To obtain a non-commercial helicopter licence in the UK, pilots have to complete 45 hours of flight instruction, including ten hours of supervised solo flight time.
If Cruise does get his licence, it could come in handy, since the star famously likes to do his own stunts.
He may even return to Top Gun again, having discussed a sequel with producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
His representatives did not respond to requests for comment last night.