=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2006/11/19/financial/= f101520S62.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, November 19, 2006 (AP) Dolphins' Owner Flies in Private Jet By STEVEN WINE, AP Sports Writer (11-19) 10:15 PST Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP) -- Wayne Huizenga's private Boeing jet made national news when it landed on Christmas Eve 2004 at the airport in Baton Rouge, La. The arrival of the modified 737 with the Miami Dolphins logo on the tail signaled that the team's owner was in town to court Louisiana State coach Nick Saban. Part of Huizenga's pitch to Saban included a tour of the plane's custom interior that includes recliner chairs, a card table and a shower. Saban took the job the next day and later boarded the plane to fly to his introductory news conference in South Florida. "It was outstanding," Saban said. "I've been on it a few times since the= n, and each time Wayne has beaten me in gin." Besides Baton Rouge, the plane has been to Australia and New Zealand, mu= ch of Europe, South Africa and Alaska. Huizenga uses it for both business and pleasure, and with 27 seats, the plane offers plenty of room for friends and family. "I travel a lot with the football team, and when I go with the football team I take quite a few people," Huizenga said. He also arranges frequent golf trips to Scotland and Ireland with groups that have included Saban and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. The plane's roominess, subdued lighting and recliners that convert to beds make such overseas flights more comfortable. "We sleep on the way and when we land, we get off the plane with our golf shoes on, get in a helicopter and go to the golf course," Huizenga said. The plane is part of a veritable Huizenga air force. He owns six helicopters, a Gulfstream IV executive jet and an older 737 that has been chartered by such celebrities as Tom Cruise and Paul McCartney. Huizenga himself prefers the newer modified 737, a Boeing Business Jet built in 1998. He paid $41 million for it, including $10.5 million for custom design work. The wide recliners are scattered about a cabin roomy enough to hold up to 150 passengers when configured for an airline. There's a Dolphins logo on the welcome mat, and video screens for almost every seat. Wall-to-wall carpeting, wood trim and muted lighting create an ambiance akin to a supper club. Near the back is a room that can be closed off from the rest of the cabin for meetings or resting, with a couch and recliners that can be converted into two full-size beds. "If Wayne goes anywhere, he usually rides this plane," said Bobby Klasse= n, a pilot for Huizenga-owned Victory Aviation. He said Huizenga doesn't tell his pilots how to fly or show interest in doing the job himself. "Nah, he just lets us go," Klassen said with a laugh. "I think he's got = it figured out that the best seat's in the back." ----------------------------= ------------------------------------------ Copyright 2006 AP