Gordon Ramsay is no stranger to adventure and thrill-seeking. He’s admitted to speeding, and covering up his license plate to get past the speed cameras. He’s competed in multiple marathons and ironmans. He’s driven motorcycles. We’ve seen him in a helicopter, so what about flying? Is Gordon Ramsay a pilot? Does he know how to fly a jet?
Even though Gordon has previously taken flying lessons, he has decided to stick to being a chef and not pursue his license. That hasn’t kept him on the ground though. He’s been in different types of planes and helicopters for her various shows.
Not only does he not have a pilot’s license, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be getting one. And if he did, he sure wouldn’t be flying jets. While filming an episode for one of his shows, the actor excitedly got to fly in a jet. After going over 800 miles an hour, and twisting and turning, the chef felt faint and had lost his appetite.
Ramsay and Commercial Flights
With all of the traveling that Gordon Ramsay has to do for work, and to get back home, he has some travel rules.
Ramsay has eaten a lot of different foods in his time as a chef. Much of which he’s cooked himself, some others have cooked in which he was judging, still others in which he tried while on an adventure for a show.
One thing he will not eat is airplane food. He’ll eat worms and guinea pigs in Peru, but will not dine on the chicken served in first-class of a commercial airline. He always ensures he has something to eat before flying so that he isn’t forced to eat the food.
Speaking of first-class, his other rule is that his kids are not allowed to sit with him in first-class. He feels that he’s earned his way to first-class and his kids haven’t, plus they’re small and don’t need the extra room.
Celebrities with Pilot Licenses
Gordon Ramsay may not have his pilot license, but many celebrities have gone on to get theirs.
- Harrison Ford has his pilot license for both planes and helicopters
- Tom Cruise got his pilot license after being inspired by his role in Top Gun
- John Travolta has licenses to fly several different planes, and has his own private airport
- Both of the former Presidents Bush were military pilots
- Dennis Quaid has a license to fly his Cessna
- Supermodel Gisele Bundchen obtained her helicopter license when she became a UN Environmental Ambassador
- Morgan Freeman got his pilot license when he turned 65
These are just a handful of the celebrities who have their pilot license for various aircraft. There are several reasons why celebrities choose to fly their own planes and helicopters, whether it’s for adventure, because they can, they hate flying commercial, or it just helps them get to some of their remote properties easier.
Flying High in the Kitchen
Chef Gordon Ramsay will continue his role as a pilot in the kitchen, instead of the skies. He continues to fly high as the second-highest paid chef, behind Jamie Oliver, with his continued success in television as well as the kitchen.
He has also taught all of his children to cook, well his oldest four, baby Oscar just turned 1. He doesn’t expect any of them to become chefs, he just wanted to ensure that they had learned a life skill that they would need.
However, his youngest daughter Matilda, who goes by Tilly, is following in her Dad’s footsteps, with a book and a show of her own, as well as being a past contestant on Master Chef Junior. She has a passion for cooking that makes her Dad proud, and even had him in tears once.