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The Private Airport Where John Travolta Has a Home Lists for $15.5 million
The exclusive Jumbolair fly-in community comes with a runway long enough to land a 747 jumbo.
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A fly-in Florida airpark that boasts the longest private runway in the US— and Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta as one of its homeowners— has just come on the market with a $15.5 million asking price.
Jumbolair Aviation Estates, seven miles northeast of Ocala, includes a 2300-metre-long main runway that’s long enough to accommodate planes as big as a Boeing 747, or Travolta’s beloved 707 jetliner.
The property, which covers over 220 hectares, also includes a separate 1097 metre-foot-long lighted grass runway, a 715-square-metre mansion once owned by horse breeder Muriel Vanderbilt, an 808-square-metre conference centre, and 17 unsold estate lots with runway access.
Travolta, 65, and his wife Kelly Preston, bought one of the first Jumbolair lots back in 2001 and built a 613-square-metres home here.
The appeal? He could park his iconic, Qantas-liveried 1964 Boeing 707-138B right outside his front door, along with his Bombardier Challenger 601 business jet. The actor recently donated the 707 to an Australian aircraft preservation group.
“This is a place for someone with a passion for aviation. Just bring your Boeing,” says listing agent Bartow McDonald, of SVN Florida Commercial Real Estate Advisors.
Back in the 1960s, the property was a vast 150-hectare horse ranch owned by Muriel Vanderbilt Adams, the socialite, horse-breeder and great-great-granddaughter of railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt.
One of the homes included in the sale.
Photo: Courtesy Bartow McDonald SVN Florida
In 1980, the inventor of Nautilus exercise equipment, Arthur Jones, bought up the Vanderbilt estate that included Vanderbilt’s 715-square-metre home, along with 142 surrounding hectares.
The inventor and fitness guru proceeded to develop the site, building the paved runway for his fleet of charter Boeing 707s, adding an 8240-square-metre warehouse and manufacturing complex, a 400-seat banqueting hall, plus a refuge for African wildlife. At one time, orphaned elephants, crocodiles, rhinos and a 270-kilo gorilla called Mickey lived on the compound.
The foyer of the Vanderbilt mansion.
Photo: Courtesy Bartow McDonald SVN Florida
When Jones and his wife Terri divorced in 1989, she developed the Jumbolair property as a fly-in community for aeroplane owners, attracting the attention of the Travoltas.
Originally, the property was developed for 38 “aviation” homes. Around 21 lots have already sold with a further 17 two- to three-acre lots included in the Jumbolair sale. All have direct taxiway access to the runway.
A private hangar for your jet.
Photo: Courtesy Bartow McDonald SVN Florida
The almost 2.4-kilometre-long main runway cost a reported $10 million to build, measures 64-metres wide and was supposedly designed to accommodate Arthur Jones’ dream plane, a 747 jumbo.
“Jumbolair is the perfect property for anyone with a love of flying, who wants to further develop this exciting, vibrant community. It also makes a perfect point of departure for all kinds of private and business travel,” explained McDonald.
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First Drive: The Porsche 911 S/T Is a Feral Beast That Handles the Road Like an Olympic Bobsledder
The commemorative model borrows underpinnings from the GT3 RS and includes a 518 hp engine.
The soul of any sports car comes down to the alchemy of its tuning—how the engine, suspension, and chassis blend into a chorus of sensations. The secret sauce of the new Porsche 911 S/T, developed as a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the brand’s flagship model, is more potent than most; in fact, it makes a serious case for being the most driver-focused 911 of all time.
Sharing the S/T designation with the homologation special from the 1960s, the (mostly) innocuously styled commemorative model borrows underpinnings from the more visually extroverted GT3 RS. Yet what the S/T, starting at $290,000, lacks in fender cutouts and massive spoilers it makes up for in directness: a flat-six power plant that revs to 9,000 rpm, a motorsport-derived double-wishbone suspension, and a manual gearbox. It’s a delightfully feral combination.
Whereas the automatic-transmission GT3 RS is ruthlessly configured for maximum downforce and minimum lap times, the S/T is dialed in for the road—particularly the Southern Italian ones on which we’re testing the car, which happen to be the very same used by product manager Uwe Braun, Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s GT line, and racing legend Walter Röhrl to finalize its calibration. The car reacts to throttle pressure with eerie deftness, spinning its 518 hp engine with thrilling immediacy, thanks to shorter gear ratios.
The steering response is similarly transparent, as direct as an unfiltered Marlboro, and the body follows with the agility of an Olympic bobsledder. Some of that purity of feeling is the result of addition through subtraction: Power-sapping elements including a hydraulic clutch and rear-axle steering were ditched, which also enabled the battery to be downsized for even more weight savings. The final result, with its carbon-fiber body panels, thinner glass, magnesium wheels, and reduced sound deadening, is the lightest 992-series variant on record, with roughly the same mass as the esteemed 911 R from 2016.
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Gentlemanly Restraint
Art and science collide in the the newly released BR03A watch collection by Bell & Ross.
In keeping with the brand’s design salute to aviation and military equipment, the pared-back face of the Bell & Ross BR03 Automatic takes its cue from the instrumentation in cockpits. It’s unabashedly minimal and confidently masculine style is set to make it a future classic.
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From Electric Surfboards to Biodegradable Golf Balls: 8 Eco-Conscious Yacht Toys for Green and Clean Fun
Just add water and forget the eco-guilt.
Without toys, yachts would be kind of sedentary. There’s nothing wrong with an alfresco meal, sunsets on the flybridge and daily massages. But toys add zest to life on board, while creating a deeper connection with the water. These days, there are a growing number of options for eco-friendly gadgets and equipment that deliver a greener way to play. These eight toys range from do-it-yourself-propulsion (waterborne fitness bikes) to electric foiling boards, from kayaks made of 100 percent recycled plastics to non-toxic, biodegradable golf balls with fish food inside. Your on-water adrenaline rushes don’t always have to be about noise and gas fumes. They can be fun, silent, and eco-conscious.
A game of golf isn’t just for land. Guests can play their best handicap from the deck with Albus Golf’s eco-friendly golf balls. The ecological and biodegradable golf balls are 100 percent safe for marine flora and fauna, and manufactured with non-contaminating materials. The balls will biodegrade within 48 hours after hitting the ocean and release the fish food contained in their core. For a complete golfing experience, add a floating FunAir green. From $3100 (FunAir Yacht Golf) and $315 a box (golf balls). funair.com
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Manta 5 Hydrofoiler XE-1
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Osiris Outdoor ‘Reprisal’ Kayak
Kayaks are ideal for preserving and protecting nature, but they’re usually manufactured with materials that will last decades longer than we will and therefore not too eco-friendly. Founded by US outdoor enthusiasts, Osiris Outdoor has created a new type of personal boat. “The Reprisal” kayak is manufactured in the US entirely from recycled plastics (around 27 kgs) that are purchased from recycling facilities. The sustainable manufacturing process isn’t its only selling point; the lightweight Reprisals have spacious storage compartments, rod holders and a watertight hatch for gadgets. Complete with a matte-black finish for a stylish look. From $1100. osirisoutdoor.com
The Fanatic Ray Eco SUP Paddleboard
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Northern Light Composite X Clean Sailors EcoOptimist
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The 50 Best Cocktail Bars in the World, According to a New Ranking
The World’s 50 Best organisation gave the Spanish bar Sips top honours during an awards ceremony in Singapore.
If you’re looking for the best bar in the world, you better head to Barcelona.
Sips, from the industry luminaries Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez, was named the No. 1 bar on the planet in the latest World’s 50 Best Bars ranking. The organisation held its annual awards ceremony on Tuesday in Singapore, the first time it hosted the gathering in Asia. Sips, which only opened two years ago, moved up to the top spot from No. 3 last year.
“Sips was destined for greatness even before it rocketed into the list at No. 37 just a few short months after opening in 2021,” William Drew, the director of content for 50 Best, said in a statement.
“The bar seamlessly translates contemporary innovation and technical precision into a playful cocktail programme, accompanied by the warmest hospitality, making it a worthy winner of The World’s Best Bar 2023 title.”
Coming in second was North America’s best bar: New York City’s Double Chicken Please. The top five was rounded out by Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy, Barcelona’s Paradiso (last year’s No. 1), and London’s Connaught Bar. The highest new entry was Seoul’s Zest at No. 18, while the highest climber was Oslo’s Himkok, which moved up to No. 10 from No. 43 last year.
Barcelona may be home to two of the top five bars, but London has cemented its status as the cocktail capital of the world: The English city had five bars make the list, more than any other town represented. Along with Connaught Bar in the top five, Tayēr + Elementary came in at No. 8, and Satan’s Whiskers (No. 28), A Bar With Shapes for a Name (No. 35), and Scarfes Bar (No. 41) all made the grade too.
The United States similarly had a good showing this year. New York City, in particular, is home to a number of the best bars: Overstory (No. 17) and Katana Kitten (No. 27) joined Double Chicken Please on the list.
Elsewhere, Miami’s Café La Trova hit No. 24 and New Orleans’s Jewel of the South snuck in at No. 49, bringing the Big Easy back to the ranking for the first time since 2014.
To celebrate their accomplishments, all of this year’s winners deserve a drink—made by somebody else at least just this once.
Check out the full list of the 50 best bars in the world below.
1. Sips, Barcelona
2. Double Chicken Please, New York
3. Handshake Speakeasy, Mexico City
4. Paradiso, Barcelona
5. Connaught Bar, London
6. Little Red Door, Paris
7. Licorería Limantour, Mexico City
8. Tayēr + Elementary, London
9. Alquímico, Cartagena
10. Himkok, Oslo
11. Tres Monos, Buenos Aires
12. Line, Athens
13. BKK Social Club, Bangkok
14. Jigger & Pony, Singapore
15. Maybe Sammy, Sydney
16. Salmon Guru, Madrid
17. Overstory, New York
18. Zest, Seoul
19. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok
20. Coa, Hong Kong
21. Drink Kong, Rome
22. Hanky Panky, Mexico City
23. Caretaker’s Cottage, Melbourne
24. Café La Trova, Miami
25. Baba au Rum, Athens
26. CoChinChina, Buenos Aires
27. Katana Kitten, New York
28. Satan’s Whiskers, London
29. Wax On, Berlin
30. Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
31. Röda Huset, Stockholm
32. Sago House, Singapore
33. Freni e Frizioni, Rome
34. Argo, Hong Kong
35. A Bar With Shapes for a Name, London
36. The SG Club, Tokyo
37. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo
38. The Cambridge Public House, Paris
39. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
40. Mimi Kakushi, Dubai
41. Scarfes Bar, London
42. 1930, Milan
43. Carnaval, Lima
44. L’Antiquario, Naples
45. Baltra Bar, Mexico City
46. Locale Firenze, Florence
47. The Clumsies, Athens
48. Atlas, Singapore
49. Jewel of the South, New Orleans
50. Galaxy Bar, Dubai
