US man Bruce Campbell transformed a Boeing 727 that was sitting idle in Greece, into his dream home. Photo / Twitter/AtlasObscura
US man Bruce Campbell transformed a Boeing 727 that was sitting idle in Greece, into his dream home. Photo / Twitter/AtlasObscura
If you have wondered what it is like to call a plane home, just ask Bruce Campbell.
Living inside an aircraft was a nearly lifelong dream for the 73-year-old who transformed an abandoned Boeing 727 into an unusual, yet innovative forever home.
US man Bruce Campbell transformed a Boeing 727 that was sitting idle in Greece, into his dream home. Photo / Twitter/AtlasObscura
Since he was a teenager, the Portland, Oregon native and electrical engineer had always hoped to one day live in a plane.
And in 1999, he fulfilled his dream after he bought an abandoned aircraft that was sitting idle in Greece for just $US100,000 ($158,029).
The airline, once operated by Olympics Airways, was founded in 1957 by shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis (who went on to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968) when he bought and renamed TAE Greek National Airlines (TAE), according to Simple Flying.
The 727 reportedly made 43 flights for the airline and was also used to transport Onassis’ remains after his death in 1975.
Bruce Campbell 73, bought the plane for $US100,000 — $A140,000. He pays just $A517 a month, including $A307 on property tax and $A210 on electricity. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
Campbell then bought it from a salvage yard where he had it flown to his hometown in Oregon.
It was towed down the streets of Hillsboro, a suburb in Portland, before landing at its final destination — a 10-acre block of land owned by Bruce in the middle of the woods.
Campbell recently spent $A20,000 adding a shower, sink, washing machine and fridge. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
That process included removing the engines and other elements so the plane can never fly again.
“They really do make perfect homes and it is so remarkable really that we shred these babies because they are ready-made homes, they’re ready to go,” Bruce said in a video uploaded to TikTok.
“Their performance metrics are absolutely superb, and they last almost forever.”
He said the only reason they are “shred” is because nobody has executed a compelling example of how to do it right.
“I’m burdened by mortgage. But my kids won’t be. They’ll be free birds and their kids will be free birds because the home will be paid for.
“Humanity is trapped in this endless mortgage cycle where everybody has to work all their lives to pay the mortgage for a house.”
Campbell turned the original food service cart into a pantry. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
Campbell, who bought the aircraft for $US100,000 — pays just $A517 ($565) a month.
That includes $A307 on property taxes and about $A210 ($335) on electricity.
“When you live in a structure like this, you feel a little more fulfilled with your life,” he told CNBC.
“And if you’re an engineer, scientist, or anyone who appreciates the elegance and beauty of aerospace technology, it’s just a happier place to live.”
Inside Bruce Campbell’s plane home. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
For the past two years, Campbell has been renovating the jetliner, having spent about $A20,000 ($21,883) adding a shower, sink, washing machine and fridge, and has turned the original food service cart into a pantry.
The outdoor shower was ‘harsh’ so created an indoor shower inside the jet. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
He also added a workbench and a futon sofa, which he sleeps on.
“The outdoor shower was so harsh that I had to establish at least one place I could take an indoor shower,” he said.
Campbell said he has ‘no regrets’ about upcycling the jetliner into a home. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
He told CNBC he has “no regrets” living in the now-restored plane.
“I have no regrets about pursuing this vision. In my experience with my guests, I believe that humanity will embrace this vision wholeheartedly in enough proportion that we can use every jetliner which retires from service,” he said.
Campbell said it is the answer to affordable housing, adding will never live inside a traditional home. Photo / TikTok/fullyglobeofficial
Campbell, who spends his days working on old computer systems, splits his time between the US and Japan and because of this, he hopes to one day have a plane home there, too.
He claims that he will never live inside a traditional home.
“It’s intended to put a home which I love in a land I love and with people I love,” he told CNBC, adding with a laugh: “If I can simply regain my youth, everything will be fine.”
