Tom Cruise jets from Mississippi to Tampa week of Top Gun's 40th anniversary re-release

Tom Cruise flew from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi to Tampa International Airport in Florida on May 11, 2026. The early-morning departure at 2:24 a.m. covered 497 knots at 41,000 feet, landing after 1 hour and 15 minutes in his HondaJet HA-420, N77VA. This quick hop capped a same-day round trip from the Tampa Bay area.

Cruise touched down near his Clearwater penthouse—the same week Top Gun returns to theaters for its 40th anniversary on May 13, per a Paramount Pictures announcement covered by Deadline in April. The re-release pairs the original with Top Gun: Maverick for a one-week run, stirring nostalgia for the film that launched Cruise's action-hero status.

Such Florida returns align with Cruise's heavy travel patterns between his Clearwater base and spots like Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, as tracked by aviation monitors. A lifelong Scientologist since 1986, he maintains the $10 million SkyView penthouse overlooking the Gulf, per Tampa Bay Times reports, amid ongoing church events in Clearwater this week, including daily seminars at the Flag Service Organization.