A MAN has revealed why he converted an abandoned Boeing plane to live in – and that he has “no regrets”.
Bruce Campbell, 73, has always been a fan of planes, and decided to live out his dream of living in one.
A man has explained why he bought and converted an abandoned Boeing plane to live in
Bruce bought the plane back in 1999
He told CNBC: “When I was a kid, my family and I were watching the news, and they showed file footage of one of the [plane] boneyards and I had no idea they existed, it was amazing to me.
“My jaw dropped and I thought ‘that’s incredible, there are thousands of them and they are just sitting there, why can’t I have one?’”
Back in 1999, Bruce, an electrical engineer, found an abandoned Boeing 727 in Greece.
The plane used to be owned by shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, who was married to former First Lady Jackie Kennedy.
However, it was last used in 1975 to transport his remains after his death, and left unused ever since.
Bruce paid $100,000 (£82,990) for the plane, and then had to pay another $120,000 (£99,588) to fly it from Greece to Oregon, where he lives.
Many of the parts were stripped from it, including the engine so it can’t fly.
He then spent another $15,000 (£12,448) renovating the 1,066sqft of space, which took two years, and has lived in it ever since.
The futon serves as his bed and workspace
Bruce reuses the food service cart as a pantry
He installed an indoor shower after his outdoor one was “too harsh”
His bedroom consists of a futon sofa which serves as a bed, along with an electric blanket which means he often works from it in the winter.
He also has an inside shower, after his outdoor shower was “too harsh”, both a private and guest toilet as well as a sink and washing machine.
He said he doesn’t have much of a kitchen island as he “isn’t much of a cook” but has a microwave, toaster oven and fridge.
Bruce even reuses the 727 food service cart as a pantry and installed an overhead locker for storage.
Don’t expect much internet as radio signals don’t penetrate plane cabins very well, although he says he hopes to soon get free WiFi.
Thankfully he only spends half the year in the plane as he spends the other six months in Japan where his partner lives, although admits the plane isn’t “her take”.
He saves money as well – he pays just $220 (£182) a month in land taxes, along with another $100 (£82) to $250 (£207) for electricity.
If you fancy seeing it for yourself, he even invites people in for guest tours of the cabin.
He said: “Most things in life are never perfect. But with a jetliner home […] I never really perceive any downside.
“I have no regrets persuing this – it’s fun.”
He said he thinks other people will follow suit in repurposing old jetliners to live in, with his own plans to transform another one in Japan.
A woman has also converted a Boeing 727 passenger plane into a three bedroom home with a huge hot tub and bath in the cockpit.
Here are some other Boeing 747 conversions which includes hotels, party pads and cafes.
The cockpit remains intact too
He hopes to convert even more planes to live in Read More