Soviet jet up for grabs on Trade Me

The L29 has been listed on Trade Me for an asking price of about $179,000. Photo / File

A former military jet has gone a great distance from its Soviet home to a little town in New Zealand's South Island where it's back on the market waiting for a new owner.

The L29 has been listed on Trade Me for an asking price of about $179,000. The military aircraft was typically used by Soviet state air forces that signed the Warsaw Pact mid-20th century.

Some 10 years ago, when Rob, a long-time aviation enthusiast, saw the plane he decided to buy it. "I just wanted to go off and play with the clouds," he said. "You only live once, so why not?

"I've flown it many times, being up there around the clouds, occasionally being upside down and seeing the world, because it's a whole different perspective."

The Timaru resident, who didn't want his surnamed used, said it was now time to move on and for the plane to go to someone who would enjoy it as much as he did.

The plane was made in the former central European state of Czechoslovakia in the early 70s and a New Zealander bought it and reassembled it here before selling it on.

Rob couldn't say if it had been used in the military, but believed it was likely used "somewhere behind the iron curtain". In the years he'd owned it the military plane had been used for adventure seekers at the cost of $100 a minute of flight time.

Despite being listed for several months, no offers had been made.