Now's Your Chance to Buy Your Own Jumbo Jet

Aviation fans with a few hundred thousand dollars lying around, pay attention. On Thursday, July 28, a 747 jumbo jet will hit the auction block in McMinnville, Oregon. The starting bid is $348,000 plus $115,000 in storage fees. And that doesn’t include any moving costs if you want to relocate the plane from its longstanding location outside the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Oh, and interested buyers have to show proof of funds before placing a bid.

Dropping more than $450,000 on a plane—that doesn’t have an engine, by the way—is way outside the realm of possibility for most people, but considering that a new Boeing 747-8 would cost a cool $418 million, a six-figure price tag is a relative bargain. The plane is also a piece of local history. It was used by Evergreen International Aviation, a McMinnville-based company founded by Oregon aviator and businessman Delmond Smith.

While the 747 has had a variety of owners over the years, it’s been parked outside the Smithsonian-affiliated Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum since 2014, according to Oregon Live. The retired airliner was bought by an aircraft parts and leasing company, called Jet Midwest, when Evergreen International Aviation filed for bankruptcy. Despite having separate ownership, the plane remained outside the museum as Jet Midwest figured out the best way to use it. 

When McMinnville Properties acquired the land and museum in 2020, they attempted to get the plane back from Jet Midwest, but the company went bankrupt just a year later, complicating the acquisition. So now McMinnville Properties plans to finally buy the plane through the upcoming auction. “As president of the company that owns the land that it sits on, we want to support the museum,” said Wayne Marschall, president of the Stoller Group, which owns McMinnville Properties.

The auction will be held at 10 a.m. P.D.T. on July 28 at the Yamhill County Courthouse in McMinnville, Oregon. There’s no official estimate for the number of bidders, and you can show up to bid without registering in advance. 

However, if everything goes according to the Stoller Group’s plan, you’ll be able to see the jet yourself during a visit to Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.