It might look like there’s been a terrible airplane accident, but the fuselage of the Boeing 727 embedded in the woods near Portland, Ore., is actually the home of retired electrical engineer Bruce Campbell. The huge 3-engine commercial airliner is propped up on concrete pillars and has its own driveway. Campbell, who believes that all retired aircraft should be re-purposed instead of warehoused, bought the plane in 1999 for $100,000 and spent another $92,000 moving the vehicle and renting a staging site to temporarily house it. Equipped with water, electricity, sewer, and 1,066 square feet of living space, the home is fairly plush for all its eccentricities. It also has the notoriety of being the aircraft that flew Aristotle Onassis’s body home to Greece for burial, with Jackie Kennedy Onassis and family flying in the main cabin. Campbell says he chose the 747 because they’re incredibly strong, durable, and long-lived, and they can easily withstand any earthquake or storm. The interior is easy to keep clean because they are essentially pressure-sealed canisters, so dust and insects can’t intrude from the outside. He also points out that the 747s are impervious to intruders, so people can feel very safe and comfortable inside. Today, Campbell lives mortgage-free and hopes hopes that in the future retired planes might be used as protective shelters for areas affected by environmental disasters.
