Microsoft founder Bill Gates had been a billionaire for over a decade before he bought his first private plane. In 1998, after years of legendary coach travel out of Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport—“That guy back there with the blanket over his head is Bill Gates!” people would whisper—he finally broke down and forked over $21 million for a Bombardier Challenger 604, an aircraft that seated nine or 10 people and had a 5,000-mile range. Since that time, Gates has grown fond of private jets, his current one being a $41 million customized Bombardier Global 5000 that seats up to 19 people, has a range of nearly 6,000 miles and can fly practically anywhere in the world.

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