Most celebrities buy a private jet. Tyler Perry bought a fleet, then went out and earned a pilot’s license so he could fly the smallest one himself. The billionaire filmmaker behind Madea and Tyler Perry Studios now keeps four aircraft on the ramp, from a single-engine Cirrus to a brand-new Bombardier Global 7500.
Perry’s private jet story is unusual because it starts with fear, not flash. A severe post-9/11 fear of flying nearly grounded a career that runs on cross-country travel, so he taught himself to conquer it one lesson at a time. The reward at the top of that fleet is a Global 7500 registered N378TP, one of the longest-range business jets in the world.
This article breaks down Tyler Perry’s complete private jet fleet: every aircraft, tail number, and spec, plus the origin story, the widely reported nine-figure price tag on his Gulfstream III, and the sale that put one of his old jets in a televangelist’s hangar. Here is what the mogul actually flies.
Quick facts about Tyler Perry’s private jets
Tyler Perry’s Complete Private Jet Fleet
Perry’s aircraft cover almost the entire range of private aviation, from a piston single he flies solo to an ultra-long-range business jet crewed by professionals. Here is every aircraft currently tied to him and his Atlanta-based aviation companies.
Select an aircraft to display the gallery.
The registrations tell their own story. When Perry took delivery of the Global 7500, he moved his personal N378TP tail number onto it, and the Embraer Lineage 1000 that used to wear it was re-registered N378TB. The “TP” is exactly what it looks like: his own initials, riding on the newest and biggest jet in the fleet.
The Origin Story: How a Fear of Flying Built a Fleet
Perry’s aviation life did not begin with money. It began with anxiety, a rented single-engine trainer, and a private island in the Bahamas that has no airport. The only way in is a small seaplane, so if he wanted to get there, someone had to learn to fly it.
2009
The first jet. Perry acquires a Gulfstream III, tail number N725TP, and begins the years-long custom refit that would later drive the widely cited nine-figure figure attached to it.
2017
The Embraer arrives. A 2014-built Embraer Lineage 1000, serial 19000559, is delivered to Perry’s ETPC Aviation LLC in March, wearing the tail number N378TP.
January 2018
A jet changes hands. Perry sells a Gulfstream V he had owned to televangelist Kenneth Copeland for a reported $5.9 million, an aircraft that would become the centerpiece of Copeland’s own controversy.
April 2023
He earns his wings. After overcoming a severe fear of flying that dated to the aftermath of 9/11, Perry announces he has earned his private pilot license.
2024
His own airplane. Having trained in the type, Perry buys a Cirrus SR22T, a single-engine piston he can fly himself rather than ride in the back.
Late 2024
The flagship. Perry takes delivery of a Bombardier Global 7500 and transfers his N378TP tail number onto it; the Lineage 1000 becomes N378TB.
The through-line is control. Perry has spoken publicly about facing the fear head-on, framing it as a personal test rather than a luxury. “Your freedom is in facing your fears,” he told followers when he shared the milestone of becoming a pilot.
Inside the Flagship: The Bombardier Global 7500
The Global 7500 is the aircraft that puts Perry in the same tier as the world’s most demanding private flyers. It is one of the longest-range purpose-built business jets ever made, capable of connecting city pairs like Atlanta and Tokyo without stopping, and it seats up to 19 people across four true living zones.
Perry’s example wears a restrained livery: a mostly white fuselage with a thin glossy metallic-brown stripe that runs from the nose and wraps the tail and engine nacelles. The interior is where the money goes, from Bombardier’s patented Nuage seating to the Pur Air cabin filtration system that cycles fresh air through the cabin.
Performance
Cabin
Ownership
That range figure is the whole point. A Global 7500 lets Perry run his production empire without the fuel stops a mid-size jet would force, which matters when your schedule bounces between Atlanta, Los Angeles, and international shoots. It is the same aircraft flown by peers like Jeff Bezos in the ultra-long-range class.
The $125 Million Question: Perry’s Gulfstream III
No aircraft in Perry’s fleet gets more attention than his Gulfstream III, N725TP, and most of it comes down to one number. The jet is frequently described as a $125 million aircraft, a figure that would make it one of the most expensive private jets in the world.
About that $125 million figure
A used Gulfstream III airframe is worth a few million dollars, not nine figures. The widely repeated $125M number reflects reported acquisition and years of bespoke customization, not the market value of the jet itself. Treat it as a headline estimate, not a verified price tag.
What is not in dispute is how far the interior was taken. Reports describe plush seating that converts to beds, a full galley kitchen, a conference room with satellite communications, and a private suite complete with a shower, the kind of build-out that turns an aging airframe into a flying apartment.
The Gulfstream III was Perry’s first jet, bought in 2009, and he has kept it even as newer aircraft joined the ramp. For a man who describes flying as a fear he chose to conquer, holding onto the airplane where it started makes a certain kind of sense.
The Jet Perry Sold to a Televangelist
One of Perry’s former aircraft went on to a far more controversial second life. In January 2018, he sold a Gulfstream V he had owned to prosperity-gospel televangelist Kenneth Copeland for a reported $5.9 million, and the jet flew into Copeland’s private airstrip near Fort Worth that same month.
Copeland framed the purchase as a gift from God to his ministry, and the aircraft became a lightning rod in the long-running debate over pastors and private jets. You can read the full story of that fleet in our profile of Kenneth Copeland’s private jets.
The sale also puts a real number on Perry’s aircraft values. A flyable Gulfstream V changing hands for around $5.9 million is a useful reality check against the nine-figure claims that follow his current jets around.
Emissions and the Flight-Tracking Question
A four-aircraft fleet flies a lot, and public flight-tracking data shows it. Perry’s Embraer Lineage 1000 alone was logged flying 148 times for roughly 219 flight hours in a single recent year, with frequent hops between Atlanta and the Los Angeles area.
Why celebrity jets get tracked
Aircraft tail numbers are public, so anyone can follow a private jet’s movements through open flight-tracking data. That transparency is what fuels the emissions criticism aimed at heavy private flyers, from Perry to other moguls and entertainers.
Perry has not made climate advocacy part of his public identity, so he has largely avoided the specific charge of hypocrisy leveled at celebrities who campaign on the environment while flying private. The scrutiny he attracts is more about scale: several large aircraft, flown often, by one person.
It is a familiar tension in this series. The same short-hop backlash that dogged Kylie Jenner’s private jet is the environment every heavy private flyer now operates in, whether or not they court the attention.
Tyler Perry’s Most Notable Aviation Moments
Becoming a pilot to reach his own island
Perry bought a private island in the Bahamas that has no airport, reachable only by a small seaplane. Rather than depend on someone else, he pushed through his fear of flying and earned his license, turning a logistical problem into a personal milestone.
Keeping his jets in Georgia
Perry’s aviation footprint is tied to Atlanta, home of Tyler Perry Studios on the former Fort McPherson army base. Local authorities have gone out of their way to keep his aircraft based nearby, with reporting on tens of millions of dollars in bonds structured to retain his jets at a Cobb County airport.
Training in the airplane he later bought
Unlike owners who never touch the controls, Perry learned in a Cirrus and then bought one. The SR22T is famous for its whole-airframe parachute, a safety feature that has made the Cirrus a favorite among owner-pilots stepping up to fast singles.
How Tyler Perry’s Fleet Compares
Most celebrities in this series own one jet, sometimes two. Perry’s four-aircraft spread, covering everything from a piston single to an ultra-long-range flagship, puts him closer to the mogul tier than the entertainer tier.
| Owner | Flagship aircraft | Also a licensed pilot? |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Perry | Bombardier Global 7500 | Yes |
| Jeff Bezos | Gulfstream G650ER | No |
| John Travolta | Boeing 707 (historic fleet) | Yes |
| Kim Kardashian | Gulfstream G650ER | No |
The closer comparison is not another entertainer but another actor-pilot. Like John Travolta, Perry treats aviation as a skill to be earned rather than a service to be bought, even if his professional flying is still left to the crews up front on the big jets.
FAQ
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.
- Simple Flying, What Is The Cost Of Tyler Perry's Private Jet?
- Simple Flying, An In-Depth Guide To Tyler Perry's Embraer Lineage 1000
- Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, Tyler Perry's Bombardier Global 7500 (N378TP) Flight History
- Atlanta Black Star, Tyler Perry Is a Pilot! Billionaire Says He Earned His License After Overcoming His Fear of Flying
- AOL / Associated reporting, Televangelist Kenneth Copeland Buys Gulfstream Jet from Tyler Perry
- McCollum Airport / local reporting, Tyler Perry to receive $35.3 million in bonds to keep jets at Cobb airport
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About the Author
Tim is the owner and lead editor of AeroCorner since 2019, overseeing aviation content covering aircraft, airlines, airports, and the broader aviation industry. Through years of researching, writing, editing, and publishing aviation-focused content, he has developed extensive practical knowledge of commercial aviation and air travel. Based in Asia and a frequent traveler himself, Tim also brings firsthand passenger experience to AeroCorner’s coverage. Outside of publishing, he has also explored aviation firsthand through hands-on flight training in New Zealand.