You might have wondered what happens to airplanes when they are decommissioned. Usually, they are sold for their scrap metal value and are taken apart.
But this is the story of a plane that was saved from such a fate and given a new life instead! Keep reading to learn more.
A plane from the Greek airline Olympic Airways has sat in a forest in Oregon since 2012. A Retired engineer by the name of Bruce Campbell always had a penchant for saving decommissioned planes from becoming scrap metal. He purchased the plane in 2009.
He spent thousands of dollars not just to purchase the plane but to transport it to the ten acres of forest land he owned to give it a new glamorous life.
“My goal is to change humanity’s behavior in this little niche,” Campbell said about his actions.
The retired engineer has a different take on life. He sleeps on a sofa willingly, not even taking it out to its full width unless he is entertaining company. He stockpiles canned food to last him two months and bathes in a shower he constructed himself by rolling a sheet of PVC into a four-foot-high cylinder.
When he had been buying the plane he never realized how significant it was. Once the plane hosted Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis when she had to transport the body of her second husband, Aristotle Onassis to its final resting place in March of 1975.
Campbell found out when he compared the registration number of his 727 airplanes to the images he found online and it had been a match. The plane he was currently residing in was the very one that transported Onassis’ remains to Greece after he passed away in France.
Olympic Airlines, which was formerly known as Olympic Airways was the flagship airline for Greece.
Onassis bought the Greek state airline (then called T.A.E.) in July, 1956. He rebranded it as “Olympic Airways” with a vision to create a luxury airline that took the world’s breath away. He wanted his airline to be the most modern in the world.
However, in September 29, 2009, the company halted all operations. Instead “Olympic Air” was born at the time because of privatization.
You would think that the airplanes decommissioned from this airline would be taken apart for scrap metal or have been left to rot but instead, one of them which was used to carry big names and personalities still exists and serves as a home in Oregon to a retired engineer with a vision.
The inside of the aircraft boasts two functioning toilets, a functioning makeshift shower area, a living space, a workspace, and more. He has even furnished the aircraft with a laundry machine and a small kitchen to prepare meals in.
This retired engineer took something which was destined for destruction and turned it into a beautiful home for himself. This is some real dedication! Share this piece with your friends and family so they can enjoy this magnificent conversion too.