"We nerds have heart and depth too..."

February 23, 2018 1:48 PM

"Domestic conversion - the metamorphosis of a jetliner into a home" just one of the many sections of the FAQ of airplanehome.com the site Bruce Campbell created to explain how he converted a Boeing 727 and turned it into his home. Too many words? Just watch this short video tour. [via]
posted by jessamyn (27 comments total)

Probably much easier when you have a chainsaw hand.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [21 favorites]

My mind boggles. He definitely comes off as more than a bit off, but he seems to be aware of his own eccentricities, so more power to him.
posted by cjorgensen at 1:56 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

Nice to see someone with a weird, but essentially harmless (I think?) obsession.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 2:10 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

It feels like shipping containers --> homes would be a way easier hobby.
posted by mathowie at 2:25 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]

So is he going to turn the cockpit into an HD flight simulator or what?
posted by grumpybear69 at 2:27 PM on February 23, 2018

So is he going to turn the cockpit into an AirBnB or what?
posted by not_on_display at 2:30 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]

I like that "sterile technique" shoe removal at the beginning. This guy must realize, tho, that likely hundreds of thousands or more people have already walked through his house with their shoes on?
posted by waving at 2:30 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

My disappointment has never been more palpable than when the door opened and it wasn't Ash.
posted by runcibleshaw at 2:31 PM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]

Fun home and interesting guy! But the shape of the fuselage seems to make it so that roughly a third of the living area is basically unproductive hallway space.
posted by Triplanetary at 2:39 PM on February 23, 2018

Oh, not THAT Bruce Campbell.
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:40 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]

surely not that Bruce Campbell, although I do enjoy the visualization.
posted by mwhybark at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]

d'oh, Saxon Kane!
posted by mwhybark at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018

Neat stuff. It's waterproof yet I can't help but think of incidents like this (youtube) where empty planes start to "fly" in high winds, though the trees should act as a windbreak.

Shoes off probably is to protect the clear plastic floor from getting scratched.
posted by exogenous at 2:52 PM on February 23, 2018

This guy must realize, tho, that likely hundreds of thousands or more people have already walked through his house with their shoes on?

If that's an OCD thing on his part, or even if it isn't, I'm sure he has cleaned the floor thoroughly, and is well aware of who does and does not walk on it. Just speaking from my own experience: I don't even have to consciously think about it to keep track of who has touched which surface and whatnot.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 3:59 PM on February 23, 2018

Ahh, that's great, even if it's all somewhat unfinished (and probably never will be).
posted by notyou at 5:15 PM on February 23, 2018

Groovy

wait
posted by Existential Dread at 6:14 PM on February 23, 2018

It feels like shipping containers --> homes would be a way easier hobby.

And cheaper. When one of the first steps is buying enough land that you can build a runway to land your newly purchased aircraft-house, you know you are into a high-dollar endeavor.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:16 PM on February 23, 2018

It feels like shipping containers --> homes would be a way easier hobby.

You, of all people here, should be aware that hobbies are not about doing what's easy and practical.

I'm not quite sure if this is more or less strange than turning a 747 into an experience bar in the desert.
posted by Candleman at 6:18 PM on February 23, 2018

Oh hey, I know about where that is. At the end of the video he says we’re perfectly welcome to come visit! Meetup, anyone?
posted by Secretariat at 7:10 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]

Living the Dream.
posted by Rash at 7:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]

That was absolutely fascinating until the unexpected water plane crash scene. Yeesh.

But, man, between this and the closet living FPP, I, uh, I gotta go get rid of some stuff.
posted by Ruki at 8:13 PM on February 23, 2018

Maybe I'm too harsh, but my view has changed since I caught this first a couple of years back. Living in a claustrophobic tube where the windows are designed for sitting, rather than standing, occupants? Windows which, in a couple of years, will fog over and become yellow and opaque? Yeah, that must be worth the ridiculous earthquake measures (your water hose is looped, great, let's hope the water mains remain operating after a major earthquake).

Also, the sheer expense, lack of practicality and, well, never-ending nature of this project would make me weep, if I cared.

As I say, perhaps I'm a little harsh, but I have less sympathy than before for people without time-management skills who never finish anything...
posted by Laotic at 1:14 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

RICE LOVES YOU.

That is all.

(Well, except for the creepy “death camps” and “execution” references. And the plane crash on water. And the need for a two-person futon “from time to time.”) Neat idea. Uncomfortably creepy guy.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 7:03 AM on February 24, 2018 [3 favorites]

“And then flown into death camps and executed” - I swear he says that at least three times.
posted by oceanjesse at 9:15 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]

I bumped on "death camps" too. This guy.
posted by smammy at 9:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also I am baffled by this idea of airplanes as lifeboats. So in a tsunami we should pack thousands of people into 747s and then what, just let them float around? jfc...
posted by smammy at 1:32 PM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

In the unlikely event of a water landing, your flotation device will become an airplane.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:36 PM on February 26, 2018