“Hugh Hefner's jet had a round bed and its own disco.”

Hefner ordered the DC-9 at the height of Playboy's fortunes and had it customised by the factory in Long Beach and by interior specialists in Miami. The all-black livery with a white rabbit on the tail was unique in an era of silver airliners; the registration, N950PB, ended in 'PB' for Playboy.

Inside, the aft cabin held Hefner's private quarters: an elliptical bed, a shower, and wood-panelled walls. Forward of that were a lounge with leather sofas, a galley that served full dinners, film projectors and an 8-track sound system, and an area with flashing lights where guests danced. Contemporary coverage in Life and later retrospectives in the Hollywood Reporter and The War Zone describe it consistently, and photographs survive.

The crew of flight attendants, dressed in black leather mini-uniforms, were selected from Playboy Clubs and sent to Continental's training school, which made them qualified cabin crew rather than decoration.

Running a DC-9 for one man's travel proved ruinous even for Playboy, and the aircraft was sold to Venezuela's VIASA in 1975, later flying for Aeromexico. Its fuselage ended its days as an educational exhibit in a park in Querétaro, Mexico. Part of the interior is preserved at Purdue University.