John Travolta and Kelly Preston ’s son Benjamin is his famous father’s mini-me. The Grease actor took to social media over the weekend to share a rare photo of his youngest child. The picture featured Benjamin and another child in the cockpit of a plane wearing pilot hats. John captioned the post: “My son Ben is taking my place! His first A380 @qantas flight.” Kelly posted the same snapshot on her respective account writing: “Following in Johnny‘s footsteps! Love this!! ♥️.”
The 65-year-old actor is a licensed pilot, and became a Qantas Ambassador in 2002 when the airline launched the Spirit of Friendship tour to foster goodwill and encourage people to travel after September 11. According to Qantas, John’s “fascination with all things aviation began” when he was a boy. Judging by the Hollywood star’s latest social media post, it seems like Ben, eight, has inherited his father’s love for flying as well.
Aside from Benjamin, Kelly and John are also parents to 19-year-old daughter Ella. The couple’s oldest son Jett died in 2009 after suffering a seizure during a family vacation in the Bahamas. Kelly paid tribute to her late son in April in honor of Autism Awareness Month. "To my sweet love, Jett... you are in our hearts forever," she penned alongside a black and white picture of her and John kissing Jett on a bed. "I send love to all of the beautiful autistic children and the wonderful people who love them. May we all shine and grant love and respect to children with special needs💕 #autismawareness #autism."
John has previously admitted that Ben helped the family move forward following tragic Jett’s death . “We certainly have bonded together," he told Good Morning America in 2016. "Certainly having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to re-bond after a tremendous loss."
Earlier this year, John opened up to People magazine about his kids. Discussing Ella, he said, “She is her own person. She is gracious, generous, poised, graceful and gorgeous. I don’t know how she came to be, and I don’t take any credit other than just adoring her.”
Meanwhile, the Pulp Fiction star revealed that his son Ben is “into gymnastics, tennis, fishing and the computer world, like all the kids.” At the time, John also admitted that he believes children should be heard. “I really do believe that children have rights. Just because they are little bodies doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have a say-so,” he said. “I find when you consult them, they can come up with much better ideas than yours.”