Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has seen its host of issues over the last several weeks, starting with the harrowing moment a plane lost a panel midflight and later a tire flew off during takeoff
Far predating these issues, one man went on a mission to save planes from being demolished, making a home out of an old Boeing plane in Oregon.
The Airplane Home was built out of a retired Boeing 727-200 plane by Bruce Campbell in Hillsboro, Oregon a little more than 30 minutes outside of Portland.
He says planes are incredible structures made to withstand high pressure and winds, and would be a shame to waste.
“To me it’s wholly irrational to destroy the finest home sized structures available on this planet and then turn around and build homes out of materials which are fundamentally little more than assemblies of sticks rendered with ancient and inferior design and fabrication methods,” Campbell wrote on the website. “What the devil are we thinking…?”
Plane turned into studio style apartment and concert venue
Campbell says his plane provides 1,066 square feet of “exhilarating aerospace quality living area,” set up in an a studio-style apartment.
As of project updates in 2017, it had a functioning shower. The plane’s lavatories remained in use as intended, and it has a washer machine.
He paid $100,000 for it in 1999, and according to a CNBC interview with Campbell in 2022, he pays $370 per month on electric costs and property taxes. He also said he incurred several costs in moving it, staging it and refurbishing it.
As an aside on why the plane makes a great home, the self-proclaimed “nerd” wrote:
“It’s a great toy. Trick doors, trick floors. Hatches here, latches there, clever gadgets everywhere…It’s a constant exploratory adventure, ever entertaining, providing fundamental sustenance for an old technology nerd like me.”
Campbell has been working on a second airplane home near Miyazaki, Japan that has faced significant hurdles, according to AirplaneHomeV2.com. The most recent update on his original plane website in August 2023 said his heart is in Miyazaki, and when USA TODAY reached out for an interview, he said he maintained synchronized to Japan time.
The Oregon location still hosts events like Concert on a Wing. At least two have already been scheduled for this summer.
