Tyler Perry is using his personal testimony of overcoming his fear of flying to encourage others.
In a new Instagram post, Perry shared footage of himself flying a small plane. Throughout the video, he gave fans insight into how much of a hindrance his fear of flying had become to his success. “After 9/11 it got so bad that I was taking my bus everywhere,” he wrote.
“I knew my career would suffer if I didn’t get over my fear. So I set out to learn everything I could about planes,” added the Tyler Perry Studios owner. But he did not jump right in; instead, he took small steps to understand aircraft.
He shared, “I first started flying RC [radio controlled] planes, then I started flying a real plane.” In a 2016 interview with US Weekly, Perry said flying the toy planes was one of his favorite pastimes.
In the same interview that revealed 25 things people likely did not know about him, he said the birth of his son, Aman Perry, led him to stop pursing a pilot’s license.
The “Madea” actor shares his only child with his former longtime girlfriend, Gelila Bekele. “I gave up being a pilot after my son was born. To be good at it, you have to fly a lot, and I couldn’t find the time,” he told the publication.
But according to his latest post, he eventually found the time to achieve his goal. “Now, I’m a pilot,” he revealed.
In an effort to impart a broader message of overcoming fears to his fans, he wrote, “Seek to understand whatever you’re afraid of and you’ll realize it never frightened you. Your freedom is in facing you fears. Fly above your fear.” He said his testimony is a “reminder to not only face your fears but to also study them. Thoroughly.”
“Tyler Perry faith is top tier. This man has overcome so much, God bless TP,” wrote one fan in response to the post. Another person commented, “Not only Face them but Study them thoroughly, a message! thank you for this reminder.”
In 2020, it was revealed that Perry’s metro Atlanta mansion boasted 35,000 square feet, 1,200 acres, and a runway for his personal aircraft. Since obtaining his pilot’s license, it has been reported that the Emmys Governor’s Award recipient has flown back and forth to his private island in the Bahamas.
Though Perry has checked countless boxes on his list of lifetime goals, there are at least two that he may still be working toward: overcoming a fear of tunnels and learning to swim. “I have a fear of tubes and tunnels. Going through any tunnel causes me great anxiety,” he told US Weekly.
And in 2018, he told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest that he had been trying to learn to swim for years. “I had to hire a Navy SEAL to help me out because I have to get over my fear because my son is jumping in the water,” he said. “I want to be able to go up the mountain and swim with him, but I’m like, ‘Kid, you go in there now and you’re in trouble.’”
In February, Perry hilariously revealed that the person who most enjoys his massive pool is Cassi Davis. In a voice memo shared on social media, he said he often returns home to find her basking in the sun without a care in the world. Even if he has yet to conquer the aquatics, it’s nice to know others can enjoy the fruits of his labors.
