Bon Jovi was not the only big name associated with N88ZL. The aircraft also served as a tour plane for The Eagles and carried Pearl Jam, Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees, Bryan Adams and Beyoncé during its charter career. Its executive cabin welcomed performers alongside other prominent passengers, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hugh Hefner with his Girls Next Door.
That mix of rock music and VIP travel makes N88ZL an unusual collectable: genuine aircraft material from a jet whose passenger list crossed musical generations and reached beyond the stage.
Built in 1965, this Boeing 707-330 was delivered to Lufthansa as D-ABUF. In 1984, it began a second career as a private charter jet with Miami-based Lowa Limited, becoming N88ZL. Fitted with an executive cabin, it transported musicians, performers and dignitaries in comfort around the world.
MotoArt created these PlaneTags from genuine skin of N88ZL, preserving part of an aircraft with both airline heritage and music history. Add it to your Boeing collection or display it alongside your rock memorabilia as a conversation piece with a story beyond the concert stage.
On 21 January 2006, N88ZL skidded off the runway at Hamilton International Airport in Ontario, Canada, with Bon Jovi on board. The aircraft was arriving from the band’s previous tour stop in Buffalo, New York, ahead of three more Canadian shows. There were 14 passengers and crew aboard. No one was severely hurt, and the tour continued. This chapter gives N88ZL a particularly memorable place in Bon Jovi’s touring history.
Boeing’s first jetliner, the 707 first flew in 1957. This long-range, narrow-body aircraft helped usher in the jet age and became a dominant force in passenger transport through the 1960s and well into the 1970s. N88ZL later brought that aviation heritage into the world of international music tours.
Manufacturer: Boeing
Model: 707-330
Tail number: N88ZL
Build year: 1965
Original registration: D-ABUF
Crew: Three
Passenger capacity listed for the aircraft: 192; later fitted with an executive charter cabin
Wingspan: 145 ft 9 in
Length: 152 ft 11 in
Height: 42 ft 5 in
Maximum take-off weight: 328,000 lb
Range: 5,353 nautical miles
Maximum cruise speed: 480 knots
Ceiling: 36,000 ft
Rate of climb: 3,550 ft/min
Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3/3B engines