Lauren Sánchez, the fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, was spotted landing a helicopter on her soon-to-be husband’s support vessel Abeona on Wednesday. A video that emerged on the internet shows the ex-journalist making multiple attempts to land the chopper on the $75 million vessel, before successfully grounding the aircraft. Dressed in a gray tank top along with denim shorts and a black baseball cap, Sánchez was joined by her fiancée on the chopper ride, who was spotted wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, and a gray cap.
After landing the chopper on Abeona, the couple was seen boarding a speed boat, probably heading back to Bezos’ new sailing megayacht Koru. Sánchez and Bezos both have been island hopping since May, enjoying the summer season on the $500 million luxury vessel, which is currently anchored off the coast of Sardinia, Italy.
Sánchez loves flying and has been training to become a helicopter pilot for more than a year now. Last year, she posted a picture of her thumb with a circular imprint from the throttle when she flew a chopper to meet Bezos in New York City. Back in 2016, she also founded Black Ops Aviation – the first female-owned and operated aerial film and production company. Furthermore, she is planning for an all-girls trip to space this year aboard Blue Origin’s rocket ship.
Interestingly, Koru doesn’t have a helipad because it is a sailing yacht with three massive masts. Bezos being the perfect supportive partner specially purchased a $75 million support vessel with a helipad so that his partner doesn’t miss flying while vacationing on their megayacht.
With an overall length of 75.25 meters, Abeona is the largest custom-built shadow yacht in the world. Built by Damen Yachting at the Vlissingen shipyard in the Netherlands, the vessel features a very modern exterior design with a gray hull. It also sports an orange bootstripe that runs across the length of the hull. She is powered by 2 MTU engines, which give her a top speed of 18 kn. With a massive volume of approximately 1,900 GT, Abeona can accommodate an array of tenders and toys, marine gear, and emergency relief support equipment. It also sleeps 45 people, which includes crew, guests, and “specialist staff.”
Named after the Roman goddess who presided over the departure of travelers, Abeona features an aft helipad and a hanger that can host a rotary-wing aircraft up to a D-value of 14. The chopper Sánchez was spotted flying is an Airbus H145, which is priced at around $10 million. While there’s no information on the ownership of the aircraft, there’s a possibility that it might have been purchased by Bezos with the intention of permanently deploying it on Abeona. After all, it’s a gift his pilot fiancée will definitely approve of.
