Tom's Top Gun squadron

He was seen inspecting his latest flyer, a Second World War Mustang P-51 which he is believed to be buying for £1.8 million.

Tom, 44, took friends along to Bob Hope airport in Burbank, California, to show off the plane and an onlooker said: "He was like a kid with a new toy."

Scroll down for more...

Tom Cruise is reprising his Top Gun role in real life - and is well on his way to having his own fighter plane squadron. Above: Tom with Kelly McGillis in the 1986 film 'Top Gun'

He already owns a Mustang P-51, a refurbished 1943 model, which he keeps in a hangar at Bob Hope airport.

He also has a stunt plane called the Pitts Special S-2B and in the late Nineties spent £21million on a Gulfstream IV jet, which he fitted with a cinema and a deep Jacuzzi.

The onlooker said of Tom's newest addition to his squadron: "He could not wait to check out the plane and was talking about his plans to take it out for a first spin. The other pilots are all very jealous because it's very impressive."

Scroll down for more...

Plane crazy: Tom, third left, with his latest aircraft

Tom has been fascinated by flying since starring in Top Gun in 1986 with Kelly McGillis, who played an aviation instructor he finds romance with.

Last year Tom had 'Kiss Me Kate' inscribed on the nose of his first Mustang in an affectionate gesture towards wife Katie Holmes (above)

He gained his pilot's licence in 1994 and last year he had 'Kiss Me Kate' inscribed on the nose of his first Mustang in an affectionate gesture towards his 28-year-old actress wife Katie Holmes.

His latest Mustang makes him even more of a flying rival for fellow Scientologist and actor John Travolta, who owns three Gulfstream jets, a Learjet and a customised Boeing 707B, which he keeps outside his home in Florida.

The Mustang entered service in the middle years of the Second World War. It was designed in America to meet British requirements and was used by the RAF and the US Air Force.

It flew on reconnaissance missions and as a bomber escort in raids over Germany, making use of its speed and versatility.

It is one of the most recognisable planes from that era and later gave its name to the Ford Mustang coupÇ.

The second Mustang P-51 is the latest example of Tom splashing out recently. He has bought an £18 million seven-bedroom dream home for Katie and his children Isabella and Conor and new baby Suri in Beverly Hills.

It is close to their friends David and Victoria Beckham, who have snapped up an Italian-style villa for £11 million.

Tom also spent £50,000 on a custom-made Vyrus 985 motorbike which he had shipped from Rimini in Italy after seeing a model in a Californian showroom.