The Closing Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games included both a travel and aviation angle as the Olympic flag was passed from Paris to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 games, by Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. Kind of…
Tom Cruise “Transports” Olympic Flag from Paris To Los Angeles
First, check out this video below:
Fun, fun. Tom Cruise, rappels from the Stade de France roof, takes the Olympic Flag from Simone Biles, then “transports” it from Paris to Los Angeles, via the streets of Paris to a Lockheed C-130 cargo jet to the hills of Hollywood (Lockheed produced the prototype for that jet in nearby Burbank, California).
I’ve got to give Cruise kudos for doing his own stunts for more than two decades…jumping off the roof of any building, let alone the Stade de France, and descending on a wire in front of over 70,000 spectators…yes, that takes some guts.
Of course, Cruise did not fly in the belly of a cargo jet back to LA. Nor did the flag. In fact, the “jump” scene over Los Angeles that ends with Cruise passing off the flag and “updating” the Hollywood Sign was filmed in March.
Cruise has his own Gulfstream IV jet…with a spa onboard. You won’t even catch him in Air France La Premiere…
Meanwhile, the Olympic Flag flew on a Delta Air Lines A350-900 (N522DZ, with special LA28 Olympics livery, operated DL291) on August 12, 2024 with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass onboard, who was met on the tarmac by California Governor Gavin Newsom to welcome the flag to the Golden State (and later attend a fundraiser for Kamala Harris). BBC reports the flag will remain in City Hall until 2028.
It was, by all measures, a very successful Olympic Games and I congratulate Team USA for edging out Mainland China to win the medal count and for every athlete who competed, some against great odds. The human body–and what it can accomplish when pushed–is miraculous.
image: Olympics Committee
Video not available :-/
Maybe your region? It works just fine for me.
Not available in Texas either… But it wouldn’t be the only video currently being blocked in this state.
Anyone else?
I am in Germany but it is a video by the official Olympics channel.
Video unavailable
I have no idea why the video is not working.
“Cruise has his own Gulfstream IV jet…with a spa onboard.” And the poor cows farting are the horrible ones adding carbon to our planet.
@Santastico … He also has a can of spam onboard , for his FC snack .
Both things can be true at the same time.
Love the C-130. All the grace of Bigfoot would be lumbering down the Chesapeake bay every evening to Pax River over our farm. Couldn’t miss it and I knew it was time to get dinner on the table. Good times.
+ . Good metaphor : “all the grace of Bigfoot” .
Honestly, who cares???
I’ve been on many a C-130 , but they were all turbo-prop propeller planes , and never a pure “jet” . The inside was like a bucket of bolts being thrown about . Sturdy , though . Landed on short gravel strips . Sometimes the crewman allowed the rear ramp to be down as we took off , and we were afraid we’d slide out the back end .
Were you seated on benches?
@Maryland .,.. Nope . No benches . There were canvas seats mounted on straps attached to the sides , and there were also “make-do” hold-ons on top of the cargo , including animal cages . Any non-ambulatory ( leg or extremity casts ) were on canvas stretchers positioned on the floor in front of cargo , so they did not tip over , or fly out the back . Everything was thrown around a bit by any turbulence . Passengers were told to unload their weapons , before boarding , to avoid problems . Good old USAF always came through . The planes were regularly based in Taiwan or Philippines , but were assigned to Vietnam for a few weeks at a time .
And Ramstein where the husband was based. Were you evacuated there?
He needs to stop messing with his face. Starting to look insane.
So true. Is that just Botox?