Bow Wow and other celebrities Stuntin’ as a private jet owners proves false, but is that a bad thing?

Flex Air Charters Celebrities

It was only a year ago, that rapper Bow Wow was called out by a fan for implying that he was about to embark on a trip via private jet to New York. The pic suspiciously appeared on his IG account after revelations made by Bow Wow in what is now an infamous court case in which he defended his attempt to dodge child support payments. His defense was despite the fact that he had spent numerous years working within the entertainment industry, he wasn’t as affluent as was once thought. In fact, he stated that he makes roughly four grand a month and had at the time only about 1,500 dollars sitting in his bank account. So, when the pic hit his IG, the public’s immediate response was that it was suspect.

It was soon uncovered that in reality, he was seated comfortably in coach on a commercial flight headed to NY after a fellow traveler on the same flight spotted him, snapped a pic, and posted it, laying his truth bare for all the world to see. Further investigation led to the discovery that the image he posted on his social media to indicate he was traveling in the lap of luxury was actually a pic he snagged off the website of a private jet charter service based at a Fort Lauderdale airfield.

It really shouldn’t surprise that he would go to such lengths to create an illusion of grandeur. The art of altering reality is par for the course on social media especially in the case of Instagram where it’s sometimes only too apparent when people stage their pics or make use of editing software to inspire follows and commentary. Why should he be any different? Perhaps it’s because he looked to be stuntin’, and nobody likes a show off. If you’re not familiar with the phrase, loosely translated from the urban dictionary, stuntin’ is the act of posing with your high-end accessories, jewelry, cash or vehicles. See the phrase “Stuntin’ on “em”. Also known as showing off, but not to be confused with flexin’ which some may think is the same but basically implies that while you are showing off, it’s an attempt to make yo’ broke azz look like you got money and not simply showing off what is actually belonging to you, e.g. “Rolando, you need to stop flexin’”

Therefore, what can be concluded from Bow Wow’s attempt is that he tried to appear as a “stunna” but in reality, he was just flexin’ with a stolen pic.

Needless to say, he isn’t the first to give the impression that he had access to or owned a private jet. Numerous celebrities from Lindsay Lohan to Soulja Boy have implied the same grandiosity on their social media and after careful scrutiny of their situations, it was uncovered that they were leasing the aircraft, taking advantage of sponsor perks or aircraft belonging to corporations and studios they were working with at the time.

The truth is, jet ownership is a pricey endeavor. It’s not quite as simplistic as purchasing a luxury vehicle. Not only are the aircraft themselves extremely expensive, but they require constant maintenance and unless the owner has the storage to house the jet and the equipment and personnel necessary to maintain them, they will need to pay a service to do so. Furthermore, unless the celebrity has a pilots license, like John Travolta, they will need to hire a pilot and crew. Additionally, they will need to pay multiple fees to travel anywhere, even to neighboring communities. Airfields charge to park jets in specific time increments, the federal government has fees for any aircraft flying anywhere and some are per traveler. Owners who travel for extended periods may be responsible for fees incurred for housing crew and the list of charges goes on. Although automobiles need maintenance, it’s simpler to own 50 cars and place them in a garage then it is to house and maintain a plane.

It wouldn’t be prudent for wealthy celebrities to actually own a jet unless they were going to make use of it regularly. It’s much more economical to actually charter one. In essence, it really doesn’t behoove them to constantly appear as if they own these aircraft when in truth, they look smarter for leasing and continuing to maintain their wealth then throwing their money away on owning something simply to achieve a particular status. After all, this isn’t high school. Or is it?