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http://heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.d...010/REALESTATE
High-flying A lot of neighborhoods don't allow the owners to park Boeing 707s outside their homes, which is why actor John Travolta moved to Jumbolair, near Ocala. BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD N.Y. TIMES REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS OCALA -- It's not just another housing development, as you can tell by the 1.4-mile airstrip and the Boeing 707 parked next to one of the houses. Located in the Central Florida town of Anthony, just north of Ocala, it's called Jumbolair, and it's the new home of John Travolta -- '70s TV phenom, film superstar, Oscar-nominated actor, sex symbol, accomplished pilot, doting husband and father. After several years of whispers about his building a house here, the 49-year-old actor has taken up residence in his nearly completed mansion. Travolta is flying daily from Ocala to Tampa to shoot "The Punisher," an action movie based on the comic book, set to be released next summer. A lifelong love of aviation holds the key to Travolta's decision to build at Jumbolair. During much of the 1980s, elephants used to roam Jumbolair's rolling woodlands, safe from poachers and reckless intruders, thanks to Arthur Jones, creator of the Nautilus line of exercise equipment, and his then-wife Terri, who used to bring in African elephants and other endangered creatures via the 1.4-mile airstrip. Terri Jones-Thayer, who divorced Jones and married Jeremy Thayer, is turning Jumbolair into an exclusive fly-in community. Although Travolta is the only big-name customer to buy in so far, other celebrities are said to have an interest, including NASCAR star Ricky Rudd. Cleared for takeoff: The center of Travolta's home resembles an air-control tower. Travolta owns at least two jets, a Gulfstream and a huge Boeing 707B. Simply put, there aren't very many non-commercial airstrips where planes of that size can take off and land. Jumbolair, with its long landing strip and massive jet wash berms at either end, is one of them. About a decade ago, Travolta had a home in a fly-in community near Daytona, but was sued by neighbors who claimed his jet airplanes were too big and noisy for their facility. The very layout of his new house is testament to Travolta's love of flying. It's located immediately off the main airstrip, and is designed so his jets can taxi right up to two outbuildings connected to the main structure, which is shaped like a squat air-control tower. Travolta literally can walk out his door, under a canopied walkway and into the cockpit, open the long mechanized gate and be airborne in a matter of minutes. According to the Federal Aviation Administration ... |
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