Tom Cruise is known as an aviation enthusiast beyond his on-screen persona of Maverick from the "Top Gun" films. While he portrayed a fighter pilot in those movies, in real life he owns several civilian aircraft, including a Bombardier Challenger 300. This jet, which belongs to Pete Mitchell Aviation LLC, is named after his famous movie character.
The Challenger 300, registered as N350XX, is primarily based in Florida. This aircraft is part of his fleet along with other planes including a Gulfstream IV, a HondaJet HA-420, and a North American P-51 Mustang. Despite his character Maverick's role in the Navy, Cruise does not own any military jets.
The Challenger 300 model debuted in 2001 and production continued until it was replaced by the Challenger 350 in 2014. At the time of manufacture, a new Challenger 300 was priced over $20 million. Today, Bombardier has shifted focus to the Challenger 3500, which retails for over $27 million. Pre-owned Challenger 300s can be bought for $7.5 million to $13 million. However, maintaining and flying such jets can cost $1.2 million to $2 million annually.