$70 Million Jet Reportedly Sells For Under $20k

Is there anything you can't buy on eBay? A UK aircraft enthusiast scored the bargain of a lifetime when he bought a military fighter plane on the internet auction site -- for less than $20,000.

Neil Banwell, 39, of Wedmore, Somerset, was the winning bidder for a 1979 Sea Harrier ZX494 jump-jet (file photos above and below). The 46-foot long aircraft came complete with two 30mm cannons, but minus its Pegasus engine and computer systems. Even the original ejector seat is still in place, though the explosive charge had been removed.

"I didn't plan to buy it," Banwell said. "It was just a spur of the moment thing and I didn't really know what I'd done. It was my daughter Jess's 14th birthday and she put the bid on for me. We then went out to a barbecue and the next morning we found out we owned a Sea Harrier."

"We have got quite a bit of land so I knew I'd have somewhere to put it. I guess it was an early Christmas present to myself," he said.

Banwell said he's has always been fascinated by Harriers. He has no plans to fly the jet... just restore it to its former glory.

"I just saw it advertised on eBay and thought I'd get it. They really are remarkable things," he said.

The dismantled aircraft was delivered by two trucks in December... one carrying the wings, and the other the fuselage. He then used a crane to reassemble the plane at his home.

He bought the jet from an aircraft dealer in Suffolk, who had purchased it after the Falklands war, which marked its 25th anniversary last week.

The Sea Harrier was built in 1979, and reportedly led the first attack in the Falklands and was flown by the commanding officer, according to the UK Mirror.

On the historic flight on May 1, 1982 the jet was flown by Black Leader Lt Cmdr Andy Auld, dropping cluster bombs on Port Stanley airfield. BBC journalist Brian Hanrahan, restricted from reporting actual aircraft numbers during battle, said as they returned to the aircraft carrier, "I've counted them all out, and I've counted them all back."

Argentinian pilots nicknamed Sea Harriers the "black death," after the menacing planes shot down 21 enemy aircraft.

Banwell refuses to reveal how much his winning bid was, but media reports put the price at £10,000, or roughly $19,975.

"I don't really want to say how much it cost. Some people have said it was £10,000, others said it was the price of a small car, but neither is true," he said.

He added, "I'll be working on the plane now and doing it up a bit. I'm also hoping to find out a bit more about it from records and history books."

FMI: www.ebay.com