A woman, devastated by the fire that destroyed her home, got back up and remodeled an old Boeing 727 to live in.
The ancient passenger plane was headed to the scrapyard when Jo Ann Ussery purchased it and moved it to a piece of property she already owned.
Making the plane habitable took her six months, and she did the majority of the work herself, saving less than $30,000.
She eventually had a completely functional house with two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and even a hot tub in place of the cockpit.
The Benoit, Mississippi beautician took on the endeavor after her brother-in-law, an air traffic controller, made a casual remark.
From 1995 to 1999, she resided in the plane before it was tragically destroyed when it fell off the back of a truck during the process of moving it to a new place where it would have been on display for the public.
Other aviation enthusiasts were inspired by Ms. Ussery’s restoration of the aircraft.
Bruce Campbell, an electrical engineer in the late 1990s, was in amazement when he read her account.
“I was driving home and listening to [the radio], and they had Jo Ann’s story, and it was amazing I didn’t drive off the road because my focus turned entirely to it,” he mentioned, recalling the incident. And I began making phone calls the following morning.
For for over 20 years, Mr. Campbell has been residing in Hillsboro, Oregon, in his own Boeing 727.
He stated: “I still stand on Jo Ann’s shoulder and I’m grateful for the proof of concept.”
“I would never live in a conventional home,” he added. Not a chance. I’d do whatever it takes to survive if Scotty transported me to inner Mongolia, removed my fingerprints, and made me live in a traditional building, but other than that, I’d take a jetliner at any moment.”
About half of his $220,000 total expenditure—or $380,000 in today’s currency—went toward buying the aircraft.
The aircraft was a part of Olympic Airways’ history and belonged to the Greek airline.
The remains of Aristotle Onassis, the airline’s owner, were transported in it before it was abandoned to deteriorate.
As a result, Mr. Campbell needed to undertake a lot of work before it was livable.
The shower is a plastic cylinder, and the inside is somewhat Spartan.
Prior to the pandemic He used to travel to Japan, where he owns a tiny apartment, in the winter, but ever since travel restrictions were put in place, he has been flying all year round.
He intended to purchase another jet to restore in Japan because he loved the project so much. Unfortunately, the arrangement didn’t work out.
He frequently hosts and allows visitors to stay for free at his plane in Oregon. Even hosting little festivals with musicians performing on the wing is something he likes to do.