Fancy a 25-year-old Boeing 757-200 previously owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and used to fly the Portland Trail Blazers around the US during the National Basketball Association season? Then bring $30 million or so down to the Avalon Airshow.
The aircraft, with Bermuda registration VQ-BTF, has been on static display during the six-day event and gotten a few curious looks from patrons more accustomed to seeing corporate jets, military aircraft and helicopters.
While this particular 757 may have rolled off the Boeing production line a quarter of a century ago in 1990, the aircraft has never flown with a commercial airline.
Instead it has been used as a corporate aircraft for just about all its operating life, including at US-based resources company Freeport McMoran (1991-1997), Vulcan Inc (1999-2007) and Google (2007-2014).
It is believed to have been owned by a Hong Kong-based businessman since 2014 and is currently stored at hangar at Avalon Airport and available for purchase.
The aircraft is understood to be configured with only 36 seats. By contrast, an American Airlines domestic 757-200 has anywhere between 176 and 188 seats.
The 757 has been a relatively uncommon sight in Australian skies. However, it is still in operation with many airlines in the northern hemisphere, particularly those that operate trans-Atlantic services between North America and Europe.
Airbus recently launched the A321LR, a long-range narrowbody which was designed to capture a slice of the 757 replacement market.
