Celebrities Take On The Sky

Phil Mickelson Hits The Ball and The Skies

Phil Mickelson says if he didn’t go into golf, he would have been an astronaut, so it’s no surprise he took to the skies in a plane. Mickelson follows in his father’s footsteps- the man was a fighter pilot in the Navy.

Phil Mickelson admired his father’s service and has his own desire to serve in the military, even taking steps toward that goal. “I went through flight training and earned a flight citation,” the man nicknamed ‘Lefty’ told Golfweek. Mickelson also practiced long-range sniper shooting. Mickelson owns a Gulf Stream V, an enormous plane that sold for around $40 million. He’s made around $75 million in golf funds, so that’s quite a chunk of money off his income!

George W. Bush: Fighter Pilot and President

George W. Bush flew in the 1970’s as a fighter pilot, and his friends at that time described him as “a gung-ho warrior and a gifted pilot who was popular in his Texas Air National Guard unit.”

The former President of the United States (whose father was also our president) has some controversy surrounding his flight record. He quit flying F-102 fighters two years before his flight commitment was up, and exactly why has never been nailed down. USA TODAY wrote, “Asked for an explanation about why Bush stopped flying, the White House said Bush ‘served admirably’ in the Guard, was given permission by commanders to fulfill his obligations in ways that did not involve flying and was honorably discharged.”