The big metal bird has left the coop.

Bidding farewell to Northern Nevada, the 747 airplane that appeared at Burning Man for four years is trundling southbound on U.S. Route 95 today. The controversial plane will flock to its final destination in Las Vegas on Thursday, according to Nevada Highway Patrol's spokeswoman, Trooper Hannah DeGoey.

Six Nevada Highway Patrol troopers are escorting the plane's upper fuselage today to Tonopah, where it will spend the night before traveling the final leg of the nearly 500 mile trip. Another piece is expected to move on Nov. 5, DeGoey said.

The online shoe retailer, Zappos, purchased the plane earlier this year, according to BLM documents acquired by the Reno Gazette Journal in September.

Who bought the Burning Man 747?BLM documents show it's a major Las Vegas-based company

Mid-morning Wednesday, the plane was moving at between 40 and 60 mph down U.S. Route 95 and was in the area of Shurz, south of Fallon. It is expected to arrive in Tonopah on Wednesday afternoon.

Zappos covered the plane's moving costs, estimated to be about $400,000, including labor, transportation, land lease, insurance and the BLM's associated fees, according to the documents.

The plane caused quite the stir upon debut in 2016 because of its sheer size, cost and also because it challenged Burners' idea of art. Additionally, in 2018, the plane was stranded on the playa post-event and disrupted the surface of the Black Rock Desert playa.

Organizers say they have exit plan:The 747 rolls back to Burning Man with BLM's blessing.

The plane is not expected to return to Burning Man, rather it will be permanently displayed in Las Vegas. Zappos is headquartered in Sin City's former City Hall.

There are multitude of empty lots adjacent to the Zappos headquarters, but it is unclear if the plane will be stored on site.

Jenny Kane covers arts and culture in Northern Nevada, as well as the dynamic relationship between the state and the growing Burning Man community. She also covers the state's burgeoning cannabis industry (Check out her podcast, the Potcast, on iTunes.) Support her work in Reno by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.